European Movement UK delivers 30,000+ signatures to new Prime Minister 

European Movement calls on the government to take concrete steps to reset the UK's relations with European leaders

byNorth East Bylines

 20-08-2024 17:07

in European News

Reading Time: 3 mins

European Movement presents petition

European Movement UK has presented the new Prime Minister with a petition signed by over 30,000 people, calling for immediate steps to rebuild the UK’s relationship with the European Union. 

This comes as recent polls show 59% of Britons now favour rejoining the EU, signalling a clear shift in public opinion on the UK’s relationship with the EU. 59% of Brits now support rejoining the EU 

The organisation is urging the new Prime Minister to capitalise on the momentum generated by the European Political Community Summit, calling on the new government to take concrete steps to reset the UK’s relations with European leaders. 

The petition, an open letter to Keir Starmer, outlines the key points of European Movement UK’s Manifesto on Europe, a blueprint for rebuilding UK-EU relations published during the general election campaign.  

European Movement’s manifesto

The four points of the Manifesto urge Starmer to: 

1. Promote a pragmatic foreign policy which has at its heart the UK working in much closer collaboration with all our European neighbours. 
2. Commission an independent ‘State of the Nation’ assessment of our future relations with Europe, with clear, objective analysis and recommendations to the Government as to how any improvements can be made, and proposing remedies for negative impacts Brexit is having on the UK economy and key cultural and societal sectors. 
3. Seek deeper agreements with the EU on shared issues from defence to food safety to fighting climate change, establishing a new working framework with the European Union. 
4. Put the rights of a generation hit hardest by Brexit first by opening negotiations with the European Union to restore the UK’s inclusion in Erasmus+ and accept the invitation to negotiate a bilateral youth mobility scheme. 

Handing-in the petition were representatives of European Movement UK, European Movement in Scotland, Wales for Europe and Young European Movement UK.