James Burgess calls on his Brexit-voting MP to give the voting public another chance

The Brexit deadlock in parliament shows that the government is failing. It’s time for MPs, including Leyton and Wanstead’s John Cryer, to get behind a ‘People’s Vote’.

Just before Christmas, John wrote to constituents – including me – who had contacted him about Brexit. Since then, Theresa May has suffered a humiliating defeat of her flagship deal and then narrowly won a vote of confidence. Now, the prime minister is in talks to try and get the deal through again, despite offering few concessions.

John has stated his opposition to the European Union, in a level-headed and balanced way, ever since the 2016 EU Referendum. In his letter he expressed his opposition to a second referendum, or ‘People’s Vote”. But given the stalemate in parliament, the intransigence of the government, and incoherence of the opposition, a People’s Vote offers a clear way forward.

Not only that, but a People’s Vote is the ultimate way to respect the ‘will of the people’ because it demonstrates that politicians trust the electorate enough to take a sensible, considered view of the situation again, in full view of the facts.

Some say that a People’s Vote betrays the will of the people, asking those who voted to leave the EU to have another go until they get it right. This is childish and disingenuous, and trivialises what we as a nation are considering.

Firstly, we are better informed now. We have had more than two years of debate over Brexit, and know more about what leaving the EU might look like. Before the referendum very little was said beyond wild promises. Second, both the government and parliament are stuck. Giving the choice back to the people offers a way out of the deadlock and would stop politicians blithely claiming to represent what they think people really want. And third, if people still want out in light of what we now know, they can still vote to leave. This, surely, would head off criticism from pro-EU remainers that people were lied to in the first referendum.

John Cryer should trust the British people and back a People’s Vote – the only way to respect the will of the people.

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