13 January 2019

Sadiq Khan: If May stays at No 10, I’m starting Project Hope, the positive case for remain

Staying in the EU gives Britain the best shot at fixing the grievances that fuelled the Brexit vote. If there’s no election, the British need a referendum, argues the Mayor of London.

[...]If MPs reject the deal, then Theresa May should do the responsible thing: immediately step aside and call a general election. Sadly, the Tories have a long history of putting their party above the national interest, so if an election is not immediately called, I will step up my campaign for a public vote – with the option of remaining in the EU on the ballot paper. It’s clear that if our government and parliament are incapable of finding a way out of this mess, it should be taken out of the hands of the politicians and returned to the British people to take back control and have their say.

Our politics and public debate have never been as angry and divided as they are now – and some say a public vote would create yet more division and disillusionment. I strongly disagree. A public vote would not only allow us to move beyond the current stalemate but would start the desperately needed process of healing the deep divisions that have opened within our society. [...]

We can run a campaign highlighting how the EU has been a force for good for generations – boosting our living standards, strengthening workers’ rights and acting as the greatest movement for peace and democracy the world has ever seen. We can remind people that our connections with Europe are a crucial part of British history – from the Polish Spitfire pilots who fought for our freedoms in the Battle of Britain to the creation of a European union being Winston Churchill’s ultimate dream. We can show people that our own history shows that the benefits of co-operation and being open to the world always eclipse the false comforts of isolation. And we can demonstrate that, when Britain takes a leadership role in Europe, our soft power and influence spreads our liberal democratic values and helps to protect human rights – both of which are more important than ever at a time of rising nationalist populism.

As a country, we face major challenges because of the changing nature of our economy and society. Many people voted Leave because they felt left behindby this new world, where the benefits of economic growth increasingly flow to only a few at the top. Many were understandably looking for something, or someone, to blame – and for too long politicians and others have encouraged this and played on people’s fears, rather than addressing them.

But the irony is that rather than looking inwards, being in the EU would give us the best chance of finding the solutions to many of the root causes of these grievances. So, in any new vote, we need to show that it’s only through being a proper part of Europe that we can exercise our power and influence on the world stage – allowing us to do more to ensure that all citizens share in the fruits of globalisation and to mitigate some of the consequences of societal and technological changes.

Lastly, there is one group for whom this decision really matters because it’s their future that’s on the line – young people. Their voice was not properly heard during the 2016 EU referendum and this should not be allowed to happen again in such a crucial democratic decision for the future of our country. One important way to achieve this would be to reduce the voting age to 16. [...]

Full op-ed on The Guardian

© The Guardian