The UK is being 'governed' towards leaving the European Union after a referendum in 2016 which did not provide good quality and honest information to voters. Those in Government and their opposition in the UK Parliament are letting divisions within their own parties, and party-politics in general, get in the way of MPs honestly stating their informed views on Brexit.

Since 23 June 2016, better quality information has become available and there is evidence that the 'will of the people' has changed in the light of that information.

MPs are the elected representatives of UK citizens and they should be given the opportunity to freely express their judgement on the subject of EU membership for the UK.

Everyone in the UK and UK nationals living in other EU countries will be affected if Brexit continues in the current political atmosphere. If Brexit happens, those people will be worse affected. Young (and unborn) citizens of the UK will lose the opportunity to move freely within their continent and to be part of a larger, diverse community.

My petition is directed at cancelling Brexit (based upon what is known now about its effects), but the process that I propose should also improve the political atmosphere. Regardless, of the outcome of the free-vote that I propose in the House of Commons, other challenges facing the UK need that atmosphere to be improved.

I attach below an extract from a letter that I have written to my MP on this subject. That extract explains more and also outlines the process that I am proposing. In the absence of a Parliamentary leader to promote this I am seeking public support through Change.org and, as well as Theresa May, I have targeted Ruth Davidson (MSP) as someone who I think could make this happen because she seems almost unique in UK politics at the moment; just about everything she says is based upon evidence, she is principled and says what she believes. Also, she is a representative in a country where a clear majority of people voted ‘Remain’, therefore has a mandate for action.

"I will not get here into the subject of the extent to which the EU Referendum result was influenced by the poor information available to the electorate (some may say that lies were told) or by whether that result provided a mandate to the UK Government to embark upon rapid implementation of Article 50 and to progress before, and since, then without cross-party co-operation, which must be considered essential when the EU Referendum divided the UK almost equally and across party lines.

Neither will I dwell upon whether the EU Referendum should ever have been called when the vast majority of MPs in Parliament; as our representatives and people best informed on this subject; thought that the UK should remain in Europe. Suffice to say that referendums should only be resorted to when there are important constitutional matters upon which Parliament is equally divided. If there is a clear majority in Parliament it should prevail on such matters. It is disingenuous of MPs now to be abandoning their well-informed judgement on the basis that they are enacting ‘the will of the people’, when really there are complicated party-political pressures preventing MPs acting in what they believe to be the best interests of the UK.

Looking forward, I am writing to you to ask that you represent my view that the best way to resolve the turmoil in UK politics and to prevent the country becoming the basket case of Europe, whether in or out of the EU, is for some radical and rapid action to be taken in Parliament. I propose that action should be to allow all MPs a free vote upon whether Brexit is cancelled and the UK remains in the EU. In addition, immediately after that free vote there should be a General Election called. If that free vote is for ‘remain’ then Brexit should be cancelled, pending the General Election result.

All political parties will then have the opportunity to clarify their stances on the EU; whether on-balance it is better or worse for the UK as a whole to be a member; and other matters facing the country. Many of these other matters are related to or will be effected by our EU membership and, if so, they should state how. This will then provide broad information that will allow the electorate to make an informed choice, not based upon any single issue.

I propose this process because it is irrefutable that much more is now known about Brexit than was before 23 June 2016 and ’the will of the people’ appears to have changed. Perhaps this was to be expected as what would happen could not be predicted until an exit was initiated. Therefore, there has to be an opportunity given for a change of mind that may be demonstrated through a process that is not focused upon a single-issue."