Theresa May outlines her Brexit objectives in a speech at Lancaster House on Tuesday, in which she is expected to confirm that Britain will be leaving the EU’s single market.
The previewed speech has been met with approval from pro-Brexit figures and newspapers, warnings from business leaders, and concern from leading Remain campaigners.
We asked our readers to deliver an alternative to May’s anticipated speech. We heard, largely, from Remain voters, who felt that the government’s likely adoption of a “hard Brexit” is a betrayal of the 48% who voted to stay in the EU - not to mention the Conservative party’s own manifesto, which called for Britain to remain in the single market.
Below, we outline eight increasingly unlikely alternative objectives, as suggested by our readers.
1) Keep Britain’s options open - and consult parliament
We will explore all options including continuing membership of EEA/EFTA to seek a balance between immigration control and access to single market. The referendum result did not give detailed policy direction and this needs to be the subject of detailed parliamentary scrutiny and debate.
Rob Jewitt, Northumberland
2) Stay in the single market
In the referendum we did not vote to leave the single market, indeed Vote Leave promised we would not do so, as did the Tory manifesto in the 2015 election. We did not vote to leave the customs union. We did not vote to trade under WTO rules, or for a decade of compromised trade. We did not vote to reduce the value of our currency, to lose sterling’s reserve status, to lose our Triple A rating. We did not vote to be poorer.
Anonymous, Wokingham
3) Secure the rights of EU citizens
Britain’s first priority should be about how this decision affects the lives of Eu citizens. British and other EU state citizens are all EU citizens with equal rights today. People from all over have moved to live in another EU state to live, work, marry and live their lives with wider horizons. Britain chooses to leave and therefore should immediately guarantee the rights of those from the EU who contribute to the UK economy
Bob Eastham, Madrid
4) Announce a second referendum
We need another referendum once the terms of our Brexit are decided, before article 50 is activated. If Brexit is the right path then a second referendum can only reinforce our resolve. If it is a mistake, then we need the opportunity to turn back having evaluated the facts and exposed the lies.
Andy, Surrey
5) Acknowledge migration’s importance to the UK
We now admit that we failed to address issues within our control - ensuring that all UK residents were accounted for, providing resources to address the needs of areas of high migration, and policing the minimum wage. But our analysis shows that nearly all migration is essential to the economy and also to ensuring adequate social care provision.
John Hodgson, Nottingham
6) End the uncertainty
She should give precise details of all the major changes which will occur when we leave the EU, as she should have done within a month of her appointment last year. Her indecision and secrecy has already caused much needless uncertainty for the country, and worry for EU citizens who work here.
Richard Ekers, York
7) Delay the triggering of Article 50
Only a narrow margin voted to leave, we must proceed cautiously and take the time to research exactly what people thought they were voting for and how their wishes can best be delivered. We must also acknowledge the concerns of those who voted to remain as well as legal residents who were not entitled to a vote but who will be profoundly affected by the change.
The initial target date for invoking Article 50 does not, on further reflection, give us enough time to consider how we will restructure our economy and political system once we have left the EU.
Amanda Wintcher, Gateshead
8) Call the whole thing off
The least likely - and most popular - suggestion.
It’s all been a horrible mistake and we are staying.
Richard Delacour, Hove
