Students write open letter in support of People’s Vote

Two Cambridge students have written an open letter calling on CUSU to “act immediately” in support of a “People’s Vote” on the Brexit deal between the United Kingdom and the European Union.

The letter was co-signed by Our Future’s Sake, Our Future Our Choice Cambridge, Cambridge University Liberal Association, Cambridge Student Democrats, Amatey Doku and Cambridge Stays.

The letter states that “time has run out” and that Britain is “staring down the barrel” of a no-deal Brexit. It notes that it will soon be impossible to call a referendum that would take place before the UK leaves the EU on 29th March 2019, and states that “no Brexit can satisfy ‘the British people’, because ‘the British people’ do not have one idea of what Brexit should mean.”

It also drew attention to the fact that most students, as well as most residents of Cambridge, voted to remain in the 2016 referendum and that CUSU should not “turn their backs” on the wishes of these people.

The authors of the letter, Luke Hallam and Gabriel Barton-Singer, also proposed a motion for CUSU Council. The motion urges CUSU to endorse a referendum on the final Brexit deal and lobby for the option to remain in the EU.

Furthermore, it urges the students' union to lobby for the UK to remain in the single market and the customs union, even if there is no referendum. The motion also highlights the negative effects of a no-deal Brexit on universities – for example, “jeopardising research funds and our ability to attract and retain the best academics”, as well as threatening UK citizens' involvement in schemes such as Erasmus+.

Cambridge University Students' Union will be voting on this motion on Monday. Keep following The Tab for updates! If you have opinions on this issue and would like to write an article, please email [email protected]