𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

A major petition to reverse Brexit and rejoin the EU has passed a major new milestone. Robert McMaster, a member of Berkshire for Europe, a local chapter of European Movement UK, created the online document, which now has garnered more than 110,000 supporters. At the time of writing, it has 110,641 signatures. It comes as a new poll revealed that most Britons do not want to undo Brexit powers. Almost 60% of adults would be unwilling to accept fewer rule-making powers in exchange for greater access to the EU single market, a YouGov survey of more than 2,100 adults found.

Mr McMaster wrote: “10 years after the Brexit vote and 6 years since the UK left the EU, it has become clear that Brexit has failed and that the UK public no longer supports leaving the EU, with a clear majority wishing to return. Recent Government statements make it clear that it wishes the UK to have closer relations with the EU, but nothing comes close to being as beneficial for the UK as rejoining the EU as a full member where we will be able to take a full part and have a full say in its deliberations (even if the terms are not the same as last time, and we urgently need pro-EU groups to lead a proper debate on what that might mean).”

When it reached 100,000 signatures, the organiser warned that he will not give up.

“This is the third petition to Apply to Rejoin the EU to the current Government, and the second to reach 100,000 signatures,” he wrote.

“The first led to a three-hour debate in Parliament in March last year where 42 MPs spoke for an average of four minutes each, 38 of whom criticised the Government’s stance, with only four supporting Brexit – the official Government spokesperson, a Conservative Minister and two Northern Ireland MPs. (No Reform MPs bothered to attend.)

“We hope this petition will lead to a second debate where another 40 MPs can tell the Government what they and their constituents think, and encourage signatories of the petition to write to MPs with their own stories and to ask them to attend.

“And that it will be followed by further petitions every six months (the lifetime of petitions on the Parliament website) with increasing numbers of signatures until the Government changes stance and applies to rejoin.”

In response to the petition, the Government said: “The UK will not be rejoining the EU, but this Government has reset its relationship with the EU with a new strategic partnership: A deal that is good for UK bills, borders, jobs and growth.”

On May 27, Parliament confirmed that the petition will be considered for debate by MPs, as is the case for all that get 100,000 signatures.

Former Labour Health Secretary Wes Streeting told his party after he resigned that Brexit was a “a catastrophic mistake”, which had made the country its ⁠weakest since before the Industrial Revolution.

“We ‌need a new special relationship with the EU, because Britain’s future lies with Europe, and one day – one day – ‌back in the European Union,” he said.