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Borough Council To Debate Brexit Motion

Published on: 4 Dec, 2018
Updated on: 4 Dec, 2018

By Amina Sahbegovic

Guildford Borough Council (GBC) is to debate a motion regarding the Brexit agreement at the next full meeting, tonight (Tuesday, December 4).

The motion proposed by the Lib Dem group leader, Caroline Reeves (Friary & St Nicolas), if accepted, would result in the council leader being asked to write to the four MPs representing parts of Guildford Borough asking them to support a “People’s Vote” on the Brexit deal. The motion is seconded by Nils Christiansen (Con, Holy Trinity).

The 27 countries of the EU approved the separation agreement with the UK, as well as the political declaration to define the framework for the future relationship between London and Brussels. Prime Minister Theresa May said in “a letter to the nation”: “It is a deal for a brighter future, which enables us to seize the opportunities that lie ahead.

Both councillors acknowledge that sovereignty on this matter lies with Parliament, but stress that the nature of the final deal will have a significant and long-lasting impact on Guildford’s residents. While the UK voted Leave during the EU Referendum, Guildford’s residents were against Brexit with 56.2% voting Remain, opposed to 43.8% voting Leave.

Cllr Reeves told The Dragon: “In 2016, by a slim margin, Britain voted for Brexit, although Guildford voters were strongly in favour of Remain, as I and other Liberal Democrats still are. But now there is a huge wave of unease among those Brexit voters who realise they were deceived by the dubious claims that originally won their support.

“Now this convoluted deal on the table threatens many of the values, rights and freedoms of a life we had enjoyed while in the EU. As more people realise the damaging impact of leaving the EU would have, more would opt for a second vote.”

But not all councillors agree. Cllr Christian Holliday Con, (Burpham), who organised the Leave campaign in the borough, urges members not to support the motion. “Forcing another referendum because the result of the first referendum is disliked is straight out of the EU text book on how to ignore the wishes of ordinary people whilst continuing to drive the federalist agenda forward,” he said.

“It is one of the many reasons for such a huge chasm between the peoples of Europe and the elites of the EU’s political class. For GBC to become associated with such a trend by approving this motion would be deeply unfortunate, especially as we have elections ourselves next year and we expect the result of those elections to be respected.

“In 2016 we voted as one constituency, the United Kingdom, and the United Kingdom voted to Leave.  It would be unprecedented in the history of this country for the result of a public vote, approved by Parliament, not to be implemented.  More people voted to Leave the European Union than have ever voted for anything else in our history and the Government made it clear that they would implement the decision.

“Ignoring a vote in which 33.5 million people took part would be a tragic precedent to set for our democracy. For these reasons the motion should fail.”

The motion to be debated reads, in full: “In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 11, Councillor Caroline Reeves to propose, and Councillor Nils Christiansen to second, the following motion: “This Council notes that a draft Brexit deal has been agreed between the UK Government and the Europ ean Commission. We acknowledge that sovereignty on this matter lies with Parliament, but the nature of the final deal will have a significant and long lasting impact on all our residents. Guildford’s EU Referendum result was strongly in favour of Remain, a s opposed to the narrow margin nationally in favour of Leave. Regardless of the outcome of the meaningful vote in Parliament, this Council resolves: (1) That the people should have scrutiny of what is being negotiated on their behalf and an opportunity to vote on the final Brexit deal, including the option to remain in the EU. (2) That the Leader of the Council be asked to write to the four MPs representing residents of this borough asking them to support a ‘People’s Vote.”

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Responses to Borough Council To Debate Brexit Motion

  1. Bernard Parke Reply

    December 4, 2018 at 7:36 am

    What possible effect will any GBC resolution have on the national debate?

    Are there not many local issues, within the actual powers of the council, which need urgent attention?

  2. Jim Allen Reply

    December 4, 2018 at 9:43 am

    I think there are far more important local issues to be discussed ‘at full council’ than something they have no control over. What about the Local Plan fiasco, the state of our sewers. The levels of air pollution would be better subjects. Or even the denial of the Neighbourhood Forums rights to attend planning meetings attended by Parish Councils, considering they both have the same planning rights to make a Neighbourhood Plan.

  3. Anna-Marie Davis Reply

    December 4, 2018 at 10:41 am

    Who on earth do they think they are? Every single person in the borough was given a vote on this matter. I would be outraged if the Council supported this. If passed, this shows a Liberal leader with extremely strange notions of her role and responsibilities.

    If received, Anne Milton should ignore this letter, it is just vanity. Wherever you stand on Brexit, this is not the role of a Borough Council. I will be very interested to see how the votes fall for this, and hope it is recorded.

  4. S Callanan Reply

    December 4, 2018 at 12:02 pm

    What would be the exact wording on the voting paper?

  5. Chris McSween Reply

    December 4, 2018 at 2:27 pm

    Cllr Reeves is not speaking for me or the rest of the 43.8% of Guildford’s Leave voters. I thought we lived in a democratic nation where the will of the people is sacrosanct – ah but of course we were hoodwinked, lied to and didn’t know what we were doing. So must we keep voting till we get the result the Remainers want?

    I echo Cllr Holliday’s words, “Ignoring a vote in which 33.5 million people took part would be a tragic precedent to set for our democracy.” We should, and do expect the results of all other elections to be honoured, no matter how narrow the majority. We’ve had enough division and delay. Time to move on.

  6. Alan Cooper Reply

    December 4, 2018 at 3:00 pm

    Good point as Anne Milton is being quite cagey about how she would vote, which I would presume support the Prime Minister. But how do we know? As I certainly would like to.

  7. Stuart Barnes Reply

    December 5, 2018 at 10:08 am

    We leave voters have a strong feeling of unease about the dubious claims of the Remain side in 2016 (World War 3, plagues of locusts, immediate unemployment of 500,000, etc) and the carefully managed whinging of the Continuity Remoaners ever since.

    Why are the “elite” so contemptuous of the significant majority of our country who just want to exit the ghastly mess of the EU?

    The problem is that the deal cooked up in secret by unelected civil servants is so bad that no one in his/her right mind could vote for it. It seems that the only way out now is on WTO terms after voting down the ridiculous deal on 11/12.

    The last thing we need is yet another referendum for the losers. If two why not the best of three?

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