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| The head of the World Trade Organization (WTO) said it would not be "the end of the world" if Britain failed to reach a post-Brexit trade deal with the EU, but there would be costs (AFP Photo/Tolga AKMEN) |
London (AFP) - A new anti-Brexit party was launched in London Monday, lacking any big names but vowing to revitalise the centre ground of British politics, inspired by French President Emmanuel Macron's En Marche movement.
Renew is
one of several new initiatives by pro-European Union campaigners, hoping to
capitalise on uncertainty over Brexit to pressure politicians into stopping the
process.
The party's
goal is to be "the vehicle for people who feel politically homeless",
said James Clarke, one of three co-leaders.
The ruling
Conservatives and opposition Labour party both back Britain's withdrawal from
the EU in March 2019, while the smaller pro-European Liberal Democrats have
failed to capitalise on anti-Brexit sentiment.
Renew said
it had received informal advice about how to proceed from En Marche (On the
Move), French President Emmanuel Macron's upstart centrist party which came
from nowhere to sweep to victory last year.
"Mr
Macron showed that it was possible to do something extraordinary in a short
amount of time," Clarke said.
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James
Clarke (left) and James Torrance are co-leaders of the anti-Brexit political
party Renew (AFP Photo/BEN STANSALL)
|
Asked about
the absence of any high-profile names, he told AFP: "Renew is not a
personality cult, it's not a vehicle for the ambitions of one or other
politicians."
It was
formed after last year's general election after a number of independent
anti-Brexit candidates in London, including Clarke and co-founder Chris
Coghlan, a former financier, decided to work together.
Renew now
claims to have more than 450 applications for stand as candidates for the
650-seat House of Commons.
Despite the
fragility of Prime Minister Theresa May's Conservative government, an election
is years away, however -- and the party admits it is still seeking financing.
Its current
income was said by Clarke to be in the "low five figures".
Renew's
main influence would likely come in lobbying existing MPs, who will have the
final vote on the Brexit deal agreed by the government with the EU.
'Nation
divided'
In this,
they are not alone.
Several
campaigns have emerged in recent weeks calling for a re-run of the 2016 EU
membership referendum and putting pressure on MPs to oppose a Brexit agreement.
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| French President Emmanuel Macron's upstart En Marche party came from nowhere to sweep to victory last year (AFP Photo/ludovic MARIN) |
One of
them, Best for Britain, captured the headlines this month because of a large
donation from billionaire investor and philanthropist George Soros.
Former
Labour party politician Andrew Adonis, a member of the House of Lords, has
launched his own campaign alongside the youth group "Our Future, Our
Choice".
Several
campaigns earlier this year united in a Grassroots Coordinating Group chaired
by Labour MP Chuka Umunna, a leading pro-EU political voice.
They have
taken heart from opinion polls since last year's election showing growing
support for staying in the bloc.
However,
polling expert John Curtice said last month that it was "not exactly a
dramatic change" -- and there was no significant evidence to suggest a
significant shift in support for a second referendum.
Some 52
percent of Britons voted for Brexit, and 48 percent, after a campaign dominated
by warnings about mass migration from the continent, and demands for
sovereignty.
Renew says
there were many causes for the vote: co-leader Sandra Khadhouri said Britain
was "a nation divided, with deep discontent at inequality".
The party said
it would increase the minimum wage, boost infrastructure outside London and
create more affordable housing, and look at "better ways to manage
immigration".
Detailed
policies will be drawn up after a "listening tour" of Britain
involving university visits and public meetings.
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