Anti-Brexit group Leeds for Europe responds to announcement of UK and EU talks continuing

The announcement was made on Sunday that Boris Johnson has agreed with European Union chiefs that post-Brexit trade deal talks will continue.Leeds for Europe is a Leeds based group committed to restoring the UK's place in the European Union.

It has been campaigning for the UK to have the closest possible relationship with the European Union and hopes it will eventually re-join the Union.

Richard Wilson, Chair of pro-EU campaign group Leeds for Europe, said: “After recent provocative pictures and headlines about navy gunboats being on standby to patrol British waters, we should probably be glad it is still ‘jaw-jaw’ and not ‘war-war’ with Europe.

“Clearly we hope a deal of some kind will emerge in the few days remaining until our EU transition arrangements end. But few should be fooled if the Government tries to present a last-minute deal and de-escalation of tensions as a ‘victory’.

“The kind of deal that can now emerge – while better than nothing - can only be a limited, “skinny” one that is going to cost many thousands of British jobs, push up prices and mean we are worse off in a multitude of ways.

“It will not be something that reflects the promises Boris Johnson and his allies made at the times of the 2016 referendum and the 2019 general election.

“Groups like Leeds for Europe will be campaigning for better relations with our immediate neighbours, most important trading partners and allies with whom we most closely share values.

“After the last four years, it is difficult to say common sense will eventually prevail. But I believe that it is only a matter of time before Britain is again a member of the European Union and enjoying the many benefits that would afford us. The disastrous way that Boris Johnson has handled the whole Brexit process will, in my view, only speed up the process of Britain changing its mind and deciding to apply for re-entry into the EU.”

Leeds for Europe also champions the UK's European identity and the values of the European Union, defends the rights of European Union citizens in the UK and UK citizens living in the European Union and promotes a greater understanding of the UK’s historic, present and future interdependence with the other countries of Europe.