Dear Friend,
In the aftermath of the referendum result I have received hundreds of letters and emails about Brexit. Please forgive me on this occasion for responding with a uniform email, but it would take me weeks to reply to each individual email individually and I want you to be completely clear on my position on what is the most important political issue of our generation as soon as possible.
My position is absolutely clear. On behalf of my constituents, 75% of whom voted to Remain, I will never, ever vote for Brexit. I will continue to stand up for my constituents, as they will be the first to suffer when the post-Brexit recession hits and they will be the first to be hit by an economic downturn. I will not vote for the invoking of Article 50, or any other steps that would begin the process of the UK leaving under the UK, under any circumstances.
It is not too late to stop this and I will continue to make the case for Parliament to act to stop Brexit or for a second referendum on a coherent plan, because at present there is absolutely no semblance of a Brexit plan in place. The referendum was advisory and non-binding, and the UK's most fundamental constitutional requirement is that our Parliament is sovereign and must therefore approve any Brexit before Article 50 is invoked and before we withdraw from the EU.
On Saturday 25th June I published the following statement (
https://twitter.com/DavidLammy/status/746728892279431168), and I am proud to be the first MP to call on Parliament to stop Brexit:
"Wake up. We do not have to do this. We can stop this madness and bring this nightmare to an end through a vote in Parliament. Our sovereign Parliament needs to now vote on whether we should exit the EU.
The referendum was an advisory, non-binding referendum. The Leave campaign's platform has already unravelled and some people wish they hadn't voted to Leave. Parliament now needs to decide whether we should go forward with Brexit, and there should be a vote in Parliament next week. Let us not destroy our economy on the basis of lies and the hubris of Boris Johnson".
I set out my position in further detail in an article for The Guardian (
http://www.theguardian.com/politics/commentisfree/2016/jun/26/second-referendum-consequences-brexit-grave?CMP=share_btn_tw):
"It is clear that the Leave campaigners do not have the slightest semblance of a plan and the promises that the campaign was built on were nothing more than a pack of lies, especially claims about £350m extra cash to spend on public services and the ending of free movement of labour.
The referendum was advisory and non-binding. Almost 500 Members of Parliament declared themselves in favour of Remain, and it is within their powers to stop this madness through a vote in Parliament.
It is also within Parliament's powers to call a second referendum, and we need a second referendum at the very least, on the basis of a plan that is yet to even be drawn up.
The consequences of exiting Brexit are grave. I have a simple message to all those who believe in remaining in Europe. We have to fight for our economic future, for our children's future and for the country that we want to be. Speak out, sign the petition calling for a second referendum and tell your MP to ask for a vote in Parliament".
On Monday 27th June following the Prime Minister's statement on the outcome of the EU referendum, I asked him:
The Prime Minister will recognise that some of my constituents are among the poorest in Britain. In these very tough economic times, it is the poorest who will suffer. Does he recognise that young people, poor people and many middle class people who voted for remain want a plan, and that lies behind the call for a second referendum on the detail?
I also sponsored Early Day Motion 243 (
http://www.parliament.uk/edm/2016-17/243) calling on the Government to ensure that there will be a second referendum allowing UK citizens to agree or disagree with the terms of the UK-EU exit package before Article 50 is triggered.
On Saturday 2nd July I spoke to a crowd of thousands in Parliament Square at the March for Europe standing for hope, unity solidarity and most of all against hatred and intolerance.
My message was clear: "Don't mourn the EU, organise. Lobby your Members of Parliament and say to them they must vote on whether we are going to press the Article 50 button. Tell them the Leave campaign was based on lies. Keep up the fight."
You can read my speech in full here (
http://www.davidlammy.co.uk/#!March-for-Europe/em4gf/5778c6590cf23a71a160516a), or watch it on YouTube here (
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08vqfclk48E).
I said:
"I am here first and foremost as the son of immigrants. It is my honour and my privilege to represent Tottenham, the most diverse constituency in this country and I am proud.
… And let me say to those that have emailed me or written comments on some of the articles I have written or been part of:
I'm not going anywhere. I was born in this country. This is my home. This is our home. And this will be my children's home.
We are standing for unity, we are standing for hope, and we are standing against division.
If we look at the campaign, as we think about these Etonians who have got us into this huge mess – an Etonian Mess.
We need to send Ofsted in – that school is failing.
… We need Parliament to take a look at this. Or, let's put it back to the people in a referendum.
Why is this so crucial? As we stand here, and I say this from my heart representing Tottenham, it is the poorest people in our country who will suffer".
I look at the racism, hatred and xenophobia that has been unleashed following the Leave victory and I say: not in my name. This is not my country. I do not recognise this Britain as my home. So I hope that you will join with me and stand for unity and hope, against hatred, division, fear and intolerance.
Thank you for writing to me about the aftermath of the EU referendum and Brexit. Rest assured that I will continue to lead the campaign against Brexit and do my utmost to keep Britain in the EU.
Yours
David Lammy MP
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