Dear Sir Alan,
My partner Steph and I run a successful scientific software business from our house in Saffron Walden. We have a son who is approaching his first birthday. We are both Cambridge-educated scientists. We are appalled by the prospect of the UK withdrawing from the EU, and want to implore you to do anything in your power to help prevent it.
As I understand it, parliament must ultimately decide on whether to trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty in order to initiate withdrawal.
My first request is that you vote against withdrawal and against triggering of Article 50. Reasons for doing so are abundant. To highlight a few:
- The world economy has clearly judged that Brexit would be a terrible idea. The pound has tanked, many British companies have lost unprecedented market capitalisation, and the Bank of England is having to resort to devaluing the pound in order to try to stabilise markets. Financial firms are already starting to move thousands of staff overseas.
- Other EU leaders have made it clear the UK will be made an example of to deter withdrawal movements in other member states.
- Many media outlets are carrying stories about people who regret their leave votes. Hardly surprising after a Leave campaign based on empty rhetoric and vilification of expertise.
- The leave campaign have already reneged on their promises, especially RE investment in the NHS to the tune of £350m.
Secondly, I ask that you encourage your colleagues in parliament to do the same.
Thirdly, I ask that you table a question in the house, highlighting that the House of Lords report on withdrawal of the UK from the EU concluded that the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish parliaments have the power to veto withdrawal. The relevant passage in the report is section 70, on page 19, of this report: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201516/ldselect/ldeucom/138/138.pdf.
The sad reality is that our country will not be a sound place for us to run our business or raise our family if the UK leaves the EU. We, and many of our most accomplished and highly educated friends and colleagues, are planning to emigrate if the UK initiates withdrawal. It is the only rational course to protect ourselves and our families. The UK will lose a generation of its brightest young people and condemn those left behind to a bleak future.
Please, Sir Alan, do anything in your power to block Brexit.
Yours hopefully,
Richard Smith-Unna
Director, Fathom Labs Ltd.
Mozilla Fellow for Science, University of Cambridge
Address: redacted Telephone: redacted