The Humble Petition of Lawrence Webb and the citizens of the London Borough of Havering,
Sheweth,
That in 1975 the British people, in a referendum, agreed to remain members of a Common Market, a group of equal and free European Nations trading together without barriers and tariffs. By default, the British people have, without their consent, become citizens of a European State run by a non-elected bureaucratic Commission in Brussels. This foreign power has suborned our legal system and the authority of our Parliament.
Wherefore your Petitioners pray that your Honourable House do all in its power to re-establish our sovereign right to rule ourselves in accordance with the freedoms, liberties and rights granted to us and our heirs forever under Magna Carta 1215 and the Bill of Rights 1689, and that we leave the European Union, the Customs Union, the Single Market and that we end Free Movement of People on 29 March, 2019 as set out in law under the European Withdrawal Act 2018.
And your Petitioners, as in duty bound, will ever pray, &c.—[Presented by Andrew Rosindell, Official Report, 27 February 2019; Vol. 655, c. 461.]
[P002429]
Observations from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union (James Cleverly):
When 17.4 million people voted to leave the European Union in the 2016 referendum, they provided the biggest democratic mandate for any course of action ever directed at a UK Government. It is our firm belief that the British people have made their view clear, and it is now our responsibility to uphold the result of the referendum and leave the EU, with a deal, as soon as possible.
The Government are committed to leaving the EU with a deal that honours the result of the referendum, while also protecting our economy, security and the Union.
On the current terms of the deal that we have negotiated, we would leave the EU, free movement would end and we would instead introduce a new, fair immigration system based on people’s skills, rather than their nationality. As well as ending free movement, the deal would end the UK paying vast sums of money to the EU and removes us from the EU budget. In leaving the EU, the jurisdiction of the CJEU will end and all laws in the UK would be passed by our elected officials.
While the House has been unable to accept the Government’s deal as it currently stands, the Government maintain that leaving with a deal is the best outcome for the UK. The Prime Minister continues to work closely with colleagues across the House to ensure that the result of the referendum is upheld and the UK leaves the EU in an orderly manner without undue delay.