Over thirty cross-party representatives in Wales – including Welsh council leaders, Assembly Members, MPs and MEPs – have signed up to demand a People’s Vote on the final Brexit deal.
All say that they accept that Wales voted for Brexit in the 2016 referendum. But the debate has now moved on from a simple Leave or Remain decision.
Their open letter states:
“The issue now is what we think about the Brexit deal that the Prime Minister brings back. Will it be the right deal for the people of Wales and the rest of the UK? Will it secure a good future for our young people and allow them to thrive? Will it help protect and grow the number of well-paid, highly-skilled, jobs that Wales needs?
One thing we already know is that many of the promises made during the referendum campaign are not going to be kept. There will be no £350 million a week for the NHS. There will not be any new trade deals ready to sign as soon as we leave.
And we know there are a whole raft of issues that were never, or hardly ever, discussed in the referendum which are now extremely important. The Irish border is one, and that is one that matters for Wales because our ports could suddenly find themselves as part of a hard-economic border with Ireland. There are many others.
For all these reasons we are coming together, on a cross-party basis, to speak out for the people of Wales and to demand, for them, and for everybody else in the UK, a People’s Vote on the final Brexit deal.”
For the pro-European campaign group Wales For Europe, the Welsh call for a People’s Vote marks a turning point in the approach to Brexit. “We are finding that people we meet are now questioning the type of deal that may be put together and what it actually means for them, their families and communities. Whether someone voted leave or Remain, they certainly didn’t vote to be poorer. Yet all the evidence points to Brexit having a lasting, damaging impact on all aspects of our lives.
“It is great that so many of our elected representatives are speaking out for the people of Wales to demand a People’s Vote on the final Brexit deal.”
For further information, and to arrange interviews, please contact:
Peter Frederick Gilbey
Deputy Director, Wales For Europe
peter@walesforeurope.org