Jayne Adye: Brexit still means Brexit '“ why the referendum result must be honoured

Will Brexit take place next March - or will be thwarted by a Remain-supporting Parliament?Will Brexit take place next March - or will be thwarted by a Remain-supporting Parliament?
Will Brexit take place next March - or will be thwarted by a Remain-supporting Parliament?
THE Prime Minister is facing increasing pressure from the public over her Chequers proposal following Get Britain Out's latest letter to Theresa May.

We hand-delivered the letter to the PM at 10 Downing Street, countersigned by tens of thousands of Leave supporters, angry at the Government’s handling of the Brexit negotiations so far.

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Get Britain Out is a long-standing, cross-party, grassroots Eurosceptic group, which campaigns on the core objective of the United Kingdom leaving the European Union, and securing the best possible clean Brexit deal as quickly as possible.

We believe it is becoming increasingly important to make sure the voices and concerns of ordinary people on Brexit are widely heard by the political ‘elite’. After the momentous EU referendum outcome on June 23, 2016, where the then government was given largest ever democratic mandate in any single vote in history, those votes by the public must be respected and delivered on.

This clearly includes the views of the constituents of Yorkshire, where a majority in the region cast their vote to Leave the EU.

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With a substantial presence on social media platforms and an ever-growing supporter base, Get Britain Out provides well-researched and informed opinions on how Brexit can be a huge global success.

We urge all our supporters to spread the campaign’s messages and write to their MPs and Ministers about their Brexit-related concerns, and to maintain strong pressure on elected officials who may attempt to defy the referendum result.

The number of daily phone calls, e-mails and messages received in support of the campaign is staggering. This has been expressed clearly in the response to the letters we have written to the Prime Minister in the last few weeks. People are being tempted to believe the Prime Minister might just listen to them, although many are very sceptical, and think the letters and their signatures will just be binned! There is the strong urge to unite all Eurosceptics and Brexiteers, regardless of political affiliations, to get behind this common cause to pressurise Theresa May into abandoning her Chequers deal and begin pursuing a proper Brexit – before it is too late.

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A previous letter posted by special delivery to Theresa May’s office in 10 Downing Street only received a holding reply from her Direct Communications Unit. We have not received any official response from the PM herself – which only suggests she does not care about the concerns of millions of ordinary voters. The letter also addressed the Chequers proposal, explaining her plan will not deliver Brexit in any meaningful sense of the word.

It might seem churlish to point out, but it is important for the PM to not only listen to her mostly Remain parliamentary echo-chamber, the mostly Remain Civil Service as well as businesses, but she should also be listening to the electorate.

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In our latest letter to the PM, Get Britain Out and the co-signatories have demanded Mrs May must take a stronger negotiating stance against EU chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, and ditch core aspects of her Brexit proposal. For example, the common rulebook for regulatory harmonisation is a disaster. It would mean continued ECJ jurisdiction in domestic affairs and would restrict the UK’s ability to fully negotiate free trade deals around the world.

There are also serious concerns over the PM’s recent decision to formally take complete charge of the Brexit negotiations. David Davis was notoriously sidelined, and after he resigned, the new Brexit Secretary, Dominic Raab, is in a similar position, capitulating to being May’s ‘deputy’, whilst her sidekick, the unelected and unaccountable civil servant and staunch Remainer, Olly Robbins, now has even greater influence and power.

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It is vital for the Government to fully prepare a proper contingency plan for a no-deal option, instead of continually releasing more of Project Fear Mark 2 in its attempts to keep us inside the EU as much as possible.

Theresa May must be strong enough to walk away from the negotiating table or risk the wrath of the great British public. Brexit means Brexit – as Mrs May has repeatedly stated. Unfortunately however, we are not holding our breath!

Grassroots Conservative Party associations are also deeply concerned, with an increasing number of members wanting Mrs May to resign with immediate effect.

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There are rumours large loans made by local associations to the Conservative Party may also be called in due to grassroots anger – these are apparently to the tune of up to £4m!

There is also the recent resurgence of Ukip from both disillusioned Conservative and Labour voters, leading to a potential prospect of a Jeremy Corbyn-led Labour government. As long as the PM continues to ignore the wishes of the electorate, this will only fuel greater unrest all across the country.

The great British public, as well as the proud people of Yorkshire, voted to get Britain out of the European Union, and want to see the referendum result properly honoured, rather than being watered down by our Remain-leaning Prime Minister and advisers so Brexit is severely undermined.

Jayne Adye is director of cross-party grassroots campaign Get Britain Out.