The eleven Tory rebels won us a "meaningful vote" - we need to make it count.
Last night’s “meaningful vote” result was not a defeat for the government but a victory for British democracy.
Some Conservative MPs stood up for their principles. Hats off to Dominic Grieve, Anna Soubry, Nicky Morgan and the eight other Tory MPs that defied their whip — what they did was difficult and we should thank them for it.
It was also heartening to see the unity of the Labour Party — if the party pulls together, it can defeat the government, that is another lesson of last night.
But we should also thank the thousands of people, unions and campaigners in living rooms, bedrooms and offices up and down the country who took the time to call their MP, write letters, email or tweet them to ask them to make a stand. Last night’s result would not have happened without them.
Together, we turned the meaningless vote the government were promising into a truly meaningful one.
At Best for Britain we have been campaigning to win a meaningful vote on Brexit with all options on the table, including staying in the European Union. We think of the options we have seen so far, no Brexit is by far the best.
We would only call for a referendum if it is clear that people want it, but we want Parliament to have a meaningful vote to decide that on the basis of whatever deal Theresa May brings back. Last night, we got that. Now we have to campaign to win it!
The next battle will be over this Brexit date that the Prime Minister is obsessed with. She is trying to write this into the bill.
Conservative MPs did not take a stand on Wednesday lightly but it was the right thing to do in the interests of the country. Today, the Prime Minister needs to realise that her aggressive posturing over Brexit is only going to lead to more embarrassing defeats.
We are urging the government to drop the amendment fixing the Brexit date. It might appease a few on the rabid right of her party but it will, I believe and hope, doom her to parliamentary reversal. Our message is clear — drop the Brexit date amendment now and stop selling our future down the river.
But as campaigners for no Brexit we need to look past next week, we have 10 months until the real Brexit deal comes up for the vote. We need to lay out a roadmap together to stop this slow motion car crash. We cannot allow the next generation to be poorer than us, as it is increasingly clear would be the result of Brexit.
We need to help build the movement by working as closely as possible with our valued partners across the country. We must also provide data and support to win over MPs and the public.
Finally, we must get beyond Leave and Remain and bring communities together. I would urge you to join the people who campaigned this week, join Best for Britain and help keep no Brexit on the table — everyone deserves to have their voice heard on the real Brexit decision — the vote on the emerging deal. 2018 will be pivotal for Brexit because the biggest decision is yet to come.
Eloise Todd is the CEO of Best for Britain. She tweets here.
To reach hundreds of thousands of new readers and to make the biggest impact we can in the next general election, we need to grow our donor base substantially.
That's why in 2024, we are seeking to generate 150 additional regular donors to support Left Foot Forward's work.
We still need another 124 people to donate to hit the target. You can help. Donate today.
6 Responses to “Last night’s Brexit vote was a victory for democracy. Here’s what we need to do next”
spiv
Eloise, you’re using every trick in the book to overturn the result of a referendum that parliament overwhelmingly voted for and you call that democratic?
You’re a dangerous disgrace