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7. Leave means Leave


If pro-remain forces manage to overturn the result of the June 2016 referendum, which is quite clearly their intent, it will represent a betrayal of both the will of the British people and the most basic, fundamental democratic values which define us as a nation.

There can be no justification whatsoever for overturning the June 2016 result. 52% voted to leave and 48% to remain. While there was no official tally of the outcome by constituency, independent analysis has shown a clear majority of Parliamentary constituencies voted ‘leave’ – for instance a study by Royal Holloway College (Prof Hanretty) suggests 64% of constituencies were in favour of ‘leave’.

So politicians – all politicians – must accept the result and the inevitable consequence has to be that the UK leaves the EU – with or without a ‘deal’. That is what people voted for.

It is unacceptable to suggest that the result of the referendum would have been different had voters known that the UK would start trading under WTO rules upon exit from the EU. Voters were warned in no uncertain terms by everyone from the Governor of the Bank of England to the President of the United States of America, of the likely economic consequences of voting ‘Leave’ – and yet they still voted ‘Leave’. So who is to say that, had they been told the UK would have to revert to ‘third country’ status and WTO rules, they would have voted differently?

The fact is people voted to ‘Leave’. Therefore Parliament, not just Theresa May and the Tory party should respect that decision – and if there is no other acceptable deal by 29 March, then we should still leave the EU and revert to WTO rules – regardless of the economic consequences.
13 January 2019

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