Newsletter 26 October 2018

Dear Member or Supporter

Successful campaigns

Roll of Honour - Gold: for local authorities that have come out for a People's Vote on any deal/ a bad deal and normally with a Remain option: LB Hammersmith & Fulham, LB Ealing* (position re-affirmed by the leader after the local elections), London Assembly*, LB Richmond upon Thames, LB Merton, Mayor of London, LB Tower Hamlets, LB Lewisham, LB Lambeth, LB Waltham Forest

* Remain option not formally part of resolution

Bronze: For the local authority that has come out for all options to be on the table including a public vote if there is no general election and with no commitment to Remain being an option: LB Haringey

Sadly not all campaigns have been successful. Two boroughs have rejected a call for a People's Vote: Barnet and Bromley.

Latest news

Royal Borough of Greenwich is the latest borough to add a debate on a People's Vote motion to its agenda for full Council on 31 October. Please write to your councillors. Note that the motion that has been tabled does not specifically call for Remain to be an option - although the preamble makes the intentions clear. So it would be worth saying in your letter that you would like the motion to be amended.

In LB Hackney one of our members has met the Mayor to propose that the Council backs the People's Vote. He has also had a letter published in the local press, the Hackney Citizen. Please support this initiative by writing to your councillors. There is a  Council meeting on 31 October and then the next is not until 23 January.

The Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames will hold its annual State of the Borough debate on Brexit on 13 November. One of our members has put down an open question for that Council meeting asking whether the Council will back a People's Vote. We are hopeful that a motion will be taken by the Council then - the agenda will be published here later. If not, a motion can be taken at the next Council meeting on 11 December. Do please write to your councillors in support of a motion, and do please support our fellow-member by attending the State of the Borough debate at 19.30 in the Guildhall.

LB Waltham Forest passed a motion in full council on 18 October 2018 calling on the Government to "Give the British people a vote on whatever deal is negotiated, which includes an option to remain in the European Union. The public should be given a final say on the most important decision to affect this country in decades, in full knowledge of the facts.". Congratulations to L4E members in the brand new local EM Waltham Forest branch who helped to bring this great result about as an early success.

Please support the live campaigns in Labour and Liberal Democrat boroughs

Please write to your councillors (model letter in the blog) in these Boroughs where we know that a People's Vote motion is being promoted for consideration: 

• LB Brent - Labour Group considering which motions to discuss at 26 November council; 
• LB Camden - motion will be tabled for 12 November Council. Please encourage the Labour group to go for a People's Vote with Remain as option; but unlike an earlier Labour motion there should be no general election precondition. A L4E member has had a further letter published in the Camden New Journal. A Liberal Democrat rally in support will be held outside the Crowndale Centre, Eversholt Street, NW1 at 18.00; all anti-Brexit campaigners welcome;
• LB Hounslow - debate in full council on 30 October; the motion that has been tabled does not specifically call for Remain to be an option, so when you write I suggest that you call for it to be amended; the proposer is clearly in favour of Remain as his New Statesman article shows;   
• LB Islington - especially Islington! - where members are launching a second attempt to persuade the ruling Labour group to come out for a People's Vote;
• LB Redbridge  - Labour group considering its position before Council on 22 November;
• LB Southwark - hopes for a debate in full council on 28 November. 

Please also write to your ward councillors in these Labour & Liberal Democrat controlled Boroughs. As far as we know, they have not yet backed the People's Vote and there is no active consideration of doing so: 

• Liberal Democrat controlled: Sutton - voted Leave 2016; opinion polls suggest now Remain;
• Labour controlled: Barking & Dagenham (voted Leave 2016; opinion polls suggest now unclear), Croydon, Enfield,  Harrow (ruling Labour group have no plan for a motion), Newham

Conservative-controlled boroughs

• Barnet (Remain in 2016) where the Opposition Labour group put down a motion for debate on 31 July 2018 calling for a People's Vote but the ruling Conservatives amended it to be a call for the Government to give the people the best possible deal;
• Bexley (voted Leave in 2016, opinion polls* suggest probably still Leave), as time constraints would prevent a motion being debated in November, and the next Council that could debate a motion is not until April. However, the local Labour Party for Old Bexley and Sidcup did in July 2018 pass a resolution calling for a People's Vote with a Remain option;
• Bromley (Remain in 2016), who in a Council meeting on 8 October 2018 rejected Labour councillors' call for a People's Vote without even debating the issue. They lead our roll of dishonour.

London4Europe