LABOUR’S LOCAL PARLIAMENTARY CANDIDATE FOR NORTH DORSET SUPPORTS PUBLIC VOTE ON BREXIT
Pat Osborne, Labour’s Parliamentary Candidate for North Dorset, has expressed his support for a ‘public vote’ as the only credible way of ending the Brexit chaos and healing our divided country and communities.
Mr Osborne, who came a clear second in the 2017 General Election by notching up thousands more votes than both the Lib Dems and Greens put together, said:
“People are thoroughly hacked off with the way Brexit has been handled by politicians, which is why the withdrawal deal needs to come back to the people for a final say.
Until the Lib Dems changed their minds about a People’s Vote, it was clear to me that Parliament was heading towards the same conclusion. Instead they’ve opted for a divisive and undemocratic policy of revoking Article 50.”
He added:
“Brexit supporting politicians can’t seem to agree on what Brexit means either. So, a public vote is the only way we’re ever going to move forward as country.”
When asked if he would support ‘leave’ or ‘remain’ in the event of a public vote, he said:
“A hard Brexit would be a disaster for North Dorset, so the priority must be to continue to be to keep that off the table.”
He added:
“I was one of the few people in North Dorset that actually went out and campaigned for Remain in 2016. On some occasions, I went out on my own because I believed that ‘Remain and reform’ was the best option. I haven’t changed my position since then.”
Current Labour Party policy is to negotiate a withdrawal deal that protects jobs and the economy, and maintains standards – including customs arrangements and frictionless trade with the single market.
Labour will put that deal to the people in a confirmatory vote, with “remain” as an option, within six months of an election.
ENDS
Notes to editors:
About Pat Osborne
Pat was born and bred in North Dorset and has lived here pretty much all his life.
He grew up and went to school in Gillingham and now lives down the road in Blandford with his wife Jodie and their two young children.
Pat works as a Transformation Manager for a Dorset based insurance company.
He has served his community as a Town Councillor for the past few years and believes that local people should be arbiters of their own destiny.
He’s Chair of the Blandford Forum Town Council’s Climate Change Working Group and is a founding member of ‘Blandford War on Waste’.
Pat is also the Labour Party’s candidate for the next general election.
Pat was Labour’s candidate in the 2017 General Election, where Labour came second in North Dorset for the first time in their history.
For more information contact Pat Osborne on 07522 924 484.
Email: Pat4NorthDorset@outlook.com