Dear xxx
I was delighted to receive your email and I could not agree more with your demand for a second referendum.
Brexit continues to dominate public life in the UK, even almost three years after the fateful referendum of June 2016. Throughout these years, I have never wavered in the knowledge that Britain is stronger inside the EU than outside it and so I never stopped fighting against Brexit. It has always been clear to me that the UK has much more to lose from leaving the EU than it could ever stand to gain - ranging from the EU’s high environmental standards, to freedom of movement and labour rights.
The revelations surrounding the Cambridge Analytica scandal and of Leave.EU’s overspending during the referendum campaign have further strengthened my conviction that the referendum in 2016 was not only based on lies and deceit, but also hijacked by a murky network of fake think tanks, so-called charities, wealthy individuals and foreign actors. For more information on this, have a look at my Bad of Brexit and Brexit and Brexit Syndicate websites.
Instead of listening to populist and dangerous slogans peddled by those who would like to undermine our democracy and burn hard-won regulations to boost their own profits, we should look at the benefits EU membership has brought. For example, being in the EU means that we benefit from some of the world’s highest environmental protection and food safety standards, that we can trade freely with the world’s largest market and that we can choose to live and work in any of the other member states. And in the South West, the EU is an important source of funding through the Structural, Rural Development and Cohesion Funds. You can find more information on what the EU does for your region here.
Where else in the world do citizens enjoy such a high level of freedom and rights as they do in the EU?
In addition, climate change is the largest threat facing our planet right now and a concerted effort is needed to stop a catastrophe from happening. We desperately need cooperation as embodied by the EU to tackle such massive issues of global scale. Going it alone does not make sense at a time where humanity faces truly global challenges.
That is why I remain staunchly pro-European and have been doing everything I can to ensure we keep the closest possible relationship with our European neighbours. I’ve worked closely with the various For Europe groups across the South West, spoken at public meetings, and joined the rallies. Almost three years on, our country is deeply divided, our government in total chaos and we are losing friends. I do not believe that this is what people voted for and this is why I am campaigning for a Final Say - a referendum with an option to stay in the EU.
Ironically, I could not agree more with David Davis when he said: “If a democracy cannot change its mind, it ceases to be a democracy”. Now that we know much more about what Brexit really means, a People’s Vote would allow us to make a decision on just whether this really is what we want.
It would be a historic mistake to leave the EU, but we can still bring this chaotic and dangerous chapter in our history to an end and finally Stop Brexit. If you would like to learn more about what you can do, please do not hesitate to visit my website. There, you can also read up on my work in the European parliament.
With best wishes,
Molly
Molly Scott Cato MEP
South West England and Gibraltar
Finance and Brexit speaker for the Green Party