WE NEED BREXIT PEOPLE’S VOTE

I WRITE in support of the three letters in the Stockport Express, outlining the impact of Brexit and calling for a People’s Vote on the final Brexit deal.

Before the referendum we were told that, when we left the EU, there would be £350 million per week to fund the NHS.

The letter by Stockport NHS Watch makes it clear that this was a lie and that any form of Brexit will be damaging to the NHS.

In addition to the three reasons outlined in their letter, I would add the fact that the government and pharmaceutical companies are already stockpiling medicines, anticipating delays and shortages, should we exit the EU. Most alarmingly, some drugs particularly those relating to cancer, have a short shelf-life and therefore, cannot be stockpiled.

Ann Coffey MP highlighted the cost of Brexit and the damage it will cause to the Greater Manchester economy.

The government’s own impact assessments show that the economy in the north west will slow under every scenario by 2.5 per cent if we remain in the Single Market and by 12pc if there is no deal.

The latter would cost Greater Manchester’s economy around £7bn a year. Furthermore, we know that the government has refused to release to our mayor, Andy Burnham, its assessments of the impact of Brexit on Greater Manchester.

One can only imagine that if these had a positive forecast, they would have been published. Hats off to Ann Coffey MP who joined Stockport for Europe on the march for a People’s Vote in London recently.

Stockport for Europe is a non-party-political, grassroots group which has been campaigning for the UK to stay in the EU since the 2016 referendum.

If anyone would like to join this campaign to stop Brexit, you can find the group on Facebook and Twitter @stockport4eu or via email at stockport4eu@gmail.com.

Another letter writer, quite rightly, stated that in the 2016 referendum, Stockport borough voted to remain. Indeed, the recent Survation poll conducted by Channel 4, indicates that the remain vote in Stockport has increased from 52.4pc (2016) to 57.8pc (2018) and the remain vote for the whole of the UK has risen from 51.9pc (2016) to 54pc (2018). It would appear that Brexit is no longer ‘the will of the people.’

I am pleased to note also that Stockport council has joined a growing number of local councils in calling on the government to hold a public vote with the option to Remain in the EU.

Those who say that a second referendum is an affront to democracy fail to understand the meaning of democracy.

Democracy did not end on June 2016. Democracy is a process and when the facts change, we have the right to change our minds.

We must all write to our MPs urging them to vote against the government’s deal or no deal and to back a People’s Vote with the option to Remain in the EU. Evelyn Leslie, Chair of Stockport for Europe