London4Europe Chair Jo Pye writes a personal message

London and the UK’s membership of the European Union (EU) is critical for our future prosperity and security

Welcome to the London4Europe website. As the London Regional section of the European Movement UK, London4Europe is currently focused on returning London and the UK to the EU. 

Why?

  • As part of the world’s largest single market, London and other UK firms could export freely to more than 500 million people in the EU. The City of London was the pre-eminent centre for Finance within the EU. We had unfettered trading access to the EU single market. Outside the EU, our access to the single EU market is impaired by costly and burdensome tariff and non-tariff barriers, and foreign investment (and jobs) in the UK are in rapid decline because business viabilities have been eroded, if not eliminated.

  • Loss of Freedom of Movement to, from and within the EU has left huge holes in our Agricultural, Hospitality, Social Care and multiple Cultural sectors. Personally, our life chances and experiences have been decimated.

  • Withdrawing (unnecessarily) from "Horizon" (scientific research funding in which UK was a leading recipient and contributor) and the Erasmus+ Scheme for academic and vocational exchanges detrimentally affected both the UK's reputation, financial income, soft-power and personal life experiences. The UK has partially rejoined "Horizon" and the current Youth Opportunity Scheme proposals are edging us positively into better futures. 

  • The EU has contributed to peace in Europe for 80 years. The UK benefitted from the EU’s contribution to building peace, reconciliation, democracy and human rights across Europe (for which the EU was awarded the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize).  It supported Spain and Greece in their transitions from dictatorship to democracy. The EU, with the UK in the lead, helped transform Communist Central European countries into democracies resulting in the reunification of Europe. Armed conflict between any EU state is unthinkable, although, sadly for Ukraine, does not protect all democratic European states. Do you feel as safe as you did before we left the EU?

  • The EU promotes justice, consumer protection, social values and helps curb climate change. The UK cannot combat climate change alone! EU arrest warrants and cross border policing help combat international crime and terrorism, which the UK cannot tackle alone. EU regulation is curbing banking excesses, customer rip offs (eg the EU reduced mobile phone roaming charges and made air travel cheaper), and curbed tax avoidance. EU social legislation provides for more holidays, equal pay and a safer working environment. The European Convention of Human Rights give us protection from autocracy. Our former Government saw fit to revoke laws from our UK statute books that the UK promoted and supported as an EU member. The Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Act 2023, placed our future civil society and regulations in the hands of Government Ministers (who changed nearly every month) without proper scrutiny by the House of Commons or the House of Lords. How was that returning power to the People? How would we know what we are losing in terms of hard-won rights and freedoms? At time of writing, the Law has not been repealed by the new Government BUT the new Labour Government is increasing movements back towards realignment. We're beginning to move in the right direction!!
  • With the UK now isolated from the EU, we are more vulnerable to hostile economic events, pandemics and continental wars. Our negotiating power in respect of new trade deals and international influence are vastly diminished, as we are currently experiencing. Collaboration with our closest neighbours - with whom we happen to share many humane values - is our safest haven.

Eurosceptics told us they wanted their country back. We want to take our London and our country back into the EU.

Join us in the challenge!!

 

 

The views on this page represent the views of the author and not necessarily those of London4Europe.