Leave and Remain voices back shared vision for how UK can ‘Brexit Together’

Voices from across EU referendum and party political divides came together on the 16 January 2017 to set out a shared vision of how the UK can ‘Brexit Together’, covering issues of immigration, the economy and market access, security and sovereignty.

Labour MPs Stephen Kinnock and Caroline Flint, who supported a Remain referendum vote, together with Conservatives Nadhim Zahawi MP and Daniel Hannan MEP, and commentator Toby Young, who campaigned to Leave, welcomed the new ‘Brexit Together manifesto’ released in January 2017 by individuals from organisations including the Adam Smith Institute, Bright Blue, British Future, Conservatives for Liberty, The Fabian Society, Modern Britain and ‘Brexit: The Movie’.

The ‘Brexit Together’ manifesto stated: We believe that a successful Brexit settlement cannot be the property of a single political party, nor solely the work of the 52% or the 48% alone. We need a Brexit settlement which delivers on the core values of sovereignty and control reflected in the majority vote to Leave; which protects the close trading relationship that was the top concern of those who wanted to Remain; and which promotes a post-Brexit vision of an inclusive and outward-facing Britain.

Key recommendations included:

Trade – Failing to agree a deal with the EU27, and falling back to trade on WTO rules, would be a damaging economic and political failure for both sides. The UK should negotiate the closest possible comprehensive free trade deal with the EU on equal terms, seeking to minimise and eliminate both tariff and regulatory barriers to trade in goods and services. Britain should be ready to leave the customs union in order to strike new trade deals with non-EU countries.

Immigration – The UK should move on from free movement to a new immigration system that offers UK control of unskilled immigration while still making a positive immigration offer to the EU as part of a broader trade deal. Britain should guarantee the status of the 3 million EU nationals in Britain as quickly as possible, outside of the formal exit negotiations, and secure a reciprocal commitment to Britons who have made their lives elsewhere in the EU.

Security – Britain should seek a ‘special relationship’ with the EU on foreign and security policy, making clear its willingness to take part in joint UK/EU military and civilian missions in the European neighbourhood, for example in the Balkans. Post-Brexit Britain should also be clear that it will continue to make a strong contribution to international security in both military and development efforts.

Sovereignty – There is little point in leaving the EU if the UK seeks a new relationship from the outside that simply seeks to imitate EU membership wherever possible – but the UK should not see breaking all ties as a positive outcome. Britain should seek to negotiate a positive, new partnership, different to EU membership but which does reflect our close historical and geographical ties with Europe and our wish to maintain close, friendly links with our neighbours.

ESO: In Focus: Brexit - The United Kingdom and the European Union http://www.europeansources.info/record/brexit-the-united-kingdom-and-the-european-union/

British Future: Tag: Brexit http://www.britishfuture.org/tag/brexit/

British Future: Tag: EU Migrants http://www.britishfuture.org/tag/eu-migrants/

The Guardian, 27.01.17: Fewer Britons living in EU than previously thought, study finds https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/jan/27/fewer-britons-in-rest-of-europe-than-previously-thought-ons-research

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