Brexit: MP Anna Soubry to speak at Shrewsbury event calling for second referendum
Pro-EU supporters Anna Soubry, Madeleina Kay and Mike Galsworthy will be guest speakers at an event in Shropshire next week calling for a second Brexit referendum.
Miss Soubry, the MP for Broxtowe in Nottinghamshire and a minister in David Cameron’s government, is one of the most prominent MPs calling for Britain to remain in the EU.
She will be attending the event, which is taking place at Shrewsbury Town’s Montgomery Waters Meadow ground on Thursday night, organised by Open Britain Shrewsbury.
The group is campaigning for a second referendum to decide whether Britain should leave the European Union or not.
Miss Soubry, will be joined for the event by genetics expert Mike Galsworthy, who co-founded the campaign group Scientists for EU.
Madeleina Kay, a 24-year-old social media commentator who was voted Young European of the Year earlier this year, will also be making the case for a second vote.
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Mark Fermor, of Open Britain Shrewsbury, said there was growing support in the town for a second referendum now it had emerged that the Government would not be able to deliver the promises made during the 2016 campaign.
He said the campaign was simply calling for a second vote, and takes no position on how they should vote if a poll was held.
“People voted Brexit because they thought they were going to be better off, they were told there would be an extra £350 million a week for the NHS,” he said.
“But now it is clear that choice is not available, that all the possible scenarios will leave us worse off,
Mr Fermor said people who opposed a second referendum often cited the fact that people had voted to leave in 2016.
Closure
“They seem to think that is where the democratic process ends, but you can’t have too much democracy,” he said.
“I’m generally not in favour of referendums at all, we elect a government to make decisions, but we need to get some closure on this.
“When Theresa May spoke this week, it was the first time we have seen what the outcomes will be if we leave the European Union.
“Now that we know what those outcomes will be, we should be given the chance to vote on them.”
Mr Fermor said he believed that many of the reasons why people voted for Brexit had little to do with the EU, and in many cases simply reflected a disillusionment with the political system.
“I think in many areas, people felt left behind, and that Britain was too London-centric, but those issues will still be there if we leave the EU,” he said.
His colleague Liz Snaith said the group’s own surveys in Shrewsbury suggested there had been a five per cent switch towards remaining in the EU since the referendum.
The event, at Shrewsbury Town’s Montgomery Waters Meadow stadium, starts at 7.30pm and tickets, which are free of charge, must be obtained in advance from the website soubry-in-shrewsbury.eventbrite.com
Open Britain has also organised a ‘Healthcare Day’ in Shrewsbury’s Market Square, focusing on the contribution the EU makes to the health service.
Mr Galsworthy, who is also an executive member of Scientists for Labour, will join healthcare workers in the square to explain how Brexit would affect the NHS.
