UPDATE 30th April:
Since the launch of the Remain Labour pledge a further 12 Labour MEP candidates have signed up, including Claude Moraes MEP, lead candidate in London, increasing the current number of signatories to 34.
The new signatories are:
Claude Moraes (London), Alvin Shum (East of England), Clare Penny-Evans (North East), Erica Lewis (North West), Claire Cozler (North West), Emma Turnbull (South East), Lubna Arshad (South East), Simon Burgess (South East), Rachael Ward (South East), Eloise Todd (Yorkshire & the Humber), Martin Mayer (Yorkshire & the Humber), Alison Hume (Yorkshire & the Humber)
For further updates please visit HERE.
Press Release
Sunday 28th April
22 Labour candidates for EU elections pledge to campaign to Remain in the EU
Ahead of the NEC meeting to finalise the Labour manifesto for the European elections, 22 Labour candidates have signed a pledge that makes a personal commitment to campaign to put Brexit back to the people and vote Remain in a future referendum.
12 of the candidates are sitting Labour MEPs and include Richard Corbett and Seb Dance, the Leader and Deputy Leader of the Labour group in the European Parliament.
The pledge was drafted and organised by the grassroots Remain Labour campaign. It says:
If elected to be a Labour Member of the European Parliament (MEP), I pledge to:
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Campaign to give the people the final say, with a referendum that offers a choice between a Brexit deal and the option to Remain in the EU
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Campaign to Remain in the referendum
Andrew Lewin, Founder of Remain Labour said:
“The overwhelming majority of Labour members and voters want to Remain in the EU and I am delighted that so many of our candidates have pledged to campaign for that outcome in the European elections. I hope and expect that more will join them in the coming days.
Remain voters across the country who want to defeat Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party can now vote with confidence and enthusiasm for Labour candidates who have pledged to fight for our future, as members of the European Union.”
Every Labour candidate in Wales has signed the Remain Labour pledge, guaranteeing that every vote for Labour in Wales will endorse giving the country the chance to Remain in the EU.
Jackie Jones, lead candidate for the Labour Party in Wales, said:
“Now that we know more about what Brexit would mean for Wales, a confirmatory vote on any Brexit deal, with the option of staying as an EU member must be on the ballot paper.
Mary, Matthew, Mark and I are therefore signing the pledge to give Wales a clear chance to support Labour and Remain in these elections.”
The full list of signatories is set out below:
Sitting MEPs
East of England
Alex Mayer
London
Seb Dance
North East
Jude Kirton-Darling
Paul Brannen
North West
Theresa Griffin
Julie Ward
Wajid Khan
Scotland
David Martin
South East
John Howarth
South West
Clare Moody
West Midlands
Sion Simon
Yorkshire & the Humber
Richard Corbett
MEP candidates
Anna Smith (East of England), James Beckles (London), Amy Fowler (South East), Rohit Dasgupta (South East), Duncan Enright (South East), Andrew Adonis (South West), Jackie Jones (Wales), Matthew Dorrance (Wales), Mary Wimbury (Wales) and Mark Whitcutt (Wales).
ENDS
Notes to Editors
For more information and to request an interview with either Andrew Lewin (Founder, Remain Labour) or any of the candidates who have signed the pledge, please contact:
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Fiona O’Farrell: fionaofarrell100@hotmail.com
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07771933534
About Remain Labour
Remain Labour is a grassroots campaign founded (in December 2017) with two clear objectives:
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To campaign for the Labour Party to adopt a policy of supporting full British membership of the European Union
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For that policy to be put to the British people, through a referendum on the terms of any ‘exit deal’, with the referendum question including the option to remain full members of the European Union
Working with Labour activists across the country, Remain Labour was responsible for around a third of the ‘contemporary’ motions sent to Labour Party conference, all of which explicitly called on the Labour Party to back a People’s Vote.
Twitter: @Remain_Labour