Battling Brexit: How a group of Brits in Europe took on the fight for citizens’ rights

Battling Brexit: How a group of Brits in Europe took on the fight for citizens’ rights

Jan 6, 2019 | Articles, News

As most Britons living in Europe were still reeling from the shock of the 2016 Brexit referendum, a small number of individuals and groups began to come together realising they faced a huge fight to protect rights that had always been taken for granted. This is their story.

To find out how this movement began from another campaign to secure the vote for millions of disenfranchised Brits abroad, read Part One of this story. Part Three: January 11th.

Ask most British nationals living abroad where they were that night Britain voted to leave the EU and they can remember.

Some watched in tears in their living rooms, others were left to console themselves in the waiting room of an airport. 

Most Brits living in the EU watched the coverage in horror as they realised the shock Brexit referendum result would change their lives forever. And what made it worse for many of them was that they had not even been allowed to vote.

“On the night of the referendum a group of friends came to my house and watched the results come in,” Fiona Godfrey, co-founder and co-chair of citizens’ rights umbrella group British in Europe, tells The Local.

Read full story in The Local

The Brexit Film

The Brexit Film

Dec 24, 2018 | Articles, News

Ivan Castellano has been in touch with us at Bremain and would appreciate support for his fledgling film project. He’s written a little bit about himself and why he is keen to promote his film. Please take a look at his Facebook Page, like, follow and support him in any way that you can. It’s always much appreciated when the spotlight is on UK in EU and EU in UK as opposed to politics. We wish you every success Ivan.

I’m a dual Spanish-French producer and director based in London.During my career I have made Documentaries on Health and Social issues. I have also participated in projects for French and International Media Broadcasters such as CNBC. In 2012, I directed a theatrical released French documentary on Cancer.

I am currently working on a documentary on Brexit because, as a European Citizen, I want to promote the status which has allowed me to study and work in Paris and move to London for new projects. My concern is that a Brexit process could happen in other European countries such as France or Spain.

Being a European citizen has allowed me to learn other languages and understand other cultures. I think that the next generation deserve the same chance that I had living and working around Europe. I also believe in European fraternity.

With this project I want to show what have been the reasons that made UK citizens vote leave in the Brexit Referendum but also the reasons why people are fighting today to stop Brexit and stay in the European Union.

Finally, I want to show how Brexit is affecting or has affected UK and EU citizens living in the UK and Europe. People who have contributed to both through work.

Here’s the link to his Facebook Page: The Brexit Film

Expat pro-EU remain group considering appeal against High Court Brexit referendum case dismissal

Expat pro-EU remain group considering appeal against High Court Brexit referendum case dismissal

Dec 16, 2018 | Articles, Campaigns & Events, News

A COSTA BLANCA-based group of British expatriates campaigning to remain in the EU have said they are considering appealing against High Court ruling on the legality of the Brexit referendum.

Bremain in Spain, part of the UK in EU group, said it would appeal against the dismissal of their court appeal for judicial review after the judge called it “hopeless”.

Mr Justice Ouseley presided over the hearings which were launched after Britain’s Electoral Commission ruled the Vote Leave organisation had broken campaign spending laws.

Susan Wilson, lead claimant in the case and head of Bremain in Spain, said she was disappointed with the ruling.

“The government has aggressively countered our claims and has shown a blatant disregard for democratic values,” Wilson said.

Read full article in the Euro Weekly News

The Leave campaign broke the rules – there’s the justification for a Final Say, prime minister

The Leave campaign broke the rules – there’s the justification for a Final Say, prime minister

Dec 12, 2018 | Articles, Campaigns & Events, News

As the parliamentary debate on the withdrawal agreement progresses, the call for a people’s vote becomes increasingly irresistible. A case in the High Court (Wilson and others v the prime minister) offers another argument in its favour: the government has a constitutional duty to at least re-consider whether it should proceed with Brexit.

All public bodies are subject to a legal duty, whenever they make a decision, to take all relevant considerations into account. This duty applies at every level, from district councils through to the prime minister. Where a public body fails to take a relevant consideration into account, its decision can be set aside.

The conduct of the Leave campaigns during the 2016 referendum is just such a relevant consideration. The Electoral Commission has found that Vote Leave incorrectly reported its spending and, in fact, exceed its spending limit by nearly 10 per cent. Spending limits are put in place to ensure that no side can “buy” an election. When Vote Leave exceeded its spending limit it gave itself, and by extension the entire Leave campaign, a significant unfair advantage. The Electoral Commission also found that Darren Grimes, founder of BeLeave misreported donations from Vote Leave and the campaign group “Veterans for Britain” also broke electoral rules. Grimes has denied any wrongdoing and is appealing the fine.

 
Organisations associated with the Leave side have also been fined by the information commissioner. The commissioner found that Leave.EU and Eldon Insurance, a company owned by Arron Banks, misused data belonging to Eldon’s customers and illegally sent 300,000 emails.
 
Full article in The Independent
 
Brexit: High Court rejects challenge to annul referendum result in major blow to Remain campaigners

Brexit: High Court rejects challenge to annul referendum result in major blow to Remain campaigners

Dec 12, 2018 | Articles, Campaigns & Events, News

A High Court challenge seeking to annul the result of the Brexit referendum because of “corrupt and illegal practices” by the Vote Leave campaign has been dismissed.

Mr Justice Ouseley said he was refusing permission for a full hearing of the claim because of the long delay in bringing it forward and because of “the want of merit”.

The decision came as a bitter blow to campaigners, British expats living in Europe, who had crowdfunded the case, which was heard last Friday.

Called UK in EU Challenge, the case argued that breaches of campaign spending limits – punished by the independent Electoral Commission – meant the 2016 referendum was not a “free and fair vote”.

The campaigners had also based the case on what they saw as Ms May’s refusal to act on the growing evidence of illegality in the months since the Commission’s findings.

Vote Leave carried on spending, despite busting its limit two days before the June 2016 vote – and was later found by the Electoral Commission to have broken the law.

Read full article in The Independent

Bremain in Spain and other ‘Brexpats’ lament High Court setback

Bremain in Spain and other ‘Brexpats’ lament High Court setback

Dec 12, 2018 | Articles, Campaigns & Events, News

BRITISH expats living in Spain, Italy and France are deciding their next step after the UK High Court rejected their appeal against Brexit based upon ‘lies and corruption’ on the part of Leave campaigners.

Sue Wilson, co-founder of Bremain in Spain, along with Ellie Grayson and John Shaw, from France and Carole-Anne Richards from Italy are seeking for the result of the referendum on June 23, 2016 to be annulled due to illegal practices including overspending and misuse of statistics, for which the official Leave campaign has already been pulled up on.

The Office of National Statistics reportedly warned former foreign minister Boris Johnson over the ‘Leave bus’ claim strongly hinting that the £350 million per week the UK sends to the European Union would be used to fund the National Health Service (NHS), a statement which failed to mention that this is the gross figure, not taking into account rebates and grants.

Also, the Electoral Commission fined Vote Leave £61,000 and Leave.EU £70,000 (currently €67,239 and €77,162 respectively, based upon today’s rate of €1.10 to the £1 as quoted on Xe.com) for deliberately going beyond their spending limit.

Vote Leave broke its budget two days before the referendum, but continued to spend, which the Electoral Commission ruled illegal.

Full article in Think Spain