Acting Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey said there are “pro-European fights” ahead as Britain began its last full day in the European Union.
British MEPs were packing up their offices in Brussels this morning as the country prepares to exit the bloc at 11pm tomorrow.
Sir Ed said he accepted that “we lost and we can’t stop Brexit” before meeting with party members today.
He is standing in as co-leader of the party, along with Baroness Brinton, after former leader Jo Swinson lost her East Dunbartonshire seat to the SNP.
Sir Ed was in Manchester today, thanking Lib-Dem members for “fighting the good fight”.
He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “Liberal Democrats stood by our principles and values and argued the pro-European case, built Britain’s largest ever pro-European movement. I accept that we lost and we can’t stop Brexit. There will be a lot of sadness and anxiety not just among Liberal Democrats but Remainers and others across the country.
“But what I want to say to them is we have pro-European fights ahead of us. We’ve got the next chapter, we’ve got a whole series of negotiations and making sure those negotiations are in Britain’s interests and make sure the pro-European voice is heard so we have the closest possible relationship with our European friends.”
Sir Ed Davey is expected to call for referendum divisions to be buried after Britain leaves the European Union at the end of the week.
Addressing the need for unity, he will say: “We must no longer be a country that is divided by Leave and Remain, but that means we must heal our country’s other divides too.”
