Sir Patrick’s call for vote over Brexit

BUSINESS leaders and celebrities including Mirfield-born actor Sir Patrick Stewart have launched a campaign for a public vote on the final Brexit deal.

The People’s Vote campaign is aiming to unite anti-Brexit groups and a rally took place in Camden, London, yesterday.

Sir Patrick, Emeritus Chancellor at the University of Huddersfield, told the BBC that if people voted to reject the exit deal, the UK would “simply stay” in the EU.

The UK is due to leave the EU in March 2019 following the referendum which saw Britain vote 51.9% to leave and 48.1% to remain.

The Star Trek actor told the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show that the “terms and conditions” of Brexit were “quite unlike” how they were presented during the run up to the 2016 referendum.

He said the People’s Vote campaign would argue that the public, not MPs, should get the final say on Brexit.

The actor, who last January said he was ‘embarrassed to be British’ in a tweet about Brexit, also said he was motivated by “history and emotion” to wants to stay in the EU.

“I’m a war baby and growing up a lot of the world was not good. So the day we joined was one of the most exciting days of my adulthood,” he added.

Also speaking on the Andrew Marr Show, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson responded to the campaign. He said that the people’s vote had already taken place.

He added: “They voted with a substantial majority to leave the EU. We’re now trying to deliver on that mandate from the people.”

Mr Johnson addressed the remarks made by the Hollywood star.

“I think we’ll get a great result and we’ll be able to have, not only a gigantic free trade deal with our friends and partners across the channel, but we’ll be able to boldly go to areas we perhaps neglected over the past five years.”

Meanwhile in Huddersfield a pro-EU activist draped the statue of Harold Wilson in St George’s Square with the EU flag and a placed a placard which says: “I was in then (1973) and I’m in now (2018). Our PM Harold.”

In the European referendum in 1974, Huddersfield-born PM Wilson urged voters to vote Yes to remaining in the European Community. The electorate voted 67% in favour of EC membership.

Seven members of Wilson’s Cabinet, including Tony Benn and Michael Foot, favoured withdrawal.