A few hours before the deadline for the tabling of lists for the European elections, which will take place in the United Kingdom at the end of May, if the British Parliament does not validate the agreement on an orderly Brexit (see EUROPE 12241/5) by then, the new UKEUP party is still looking for candidates willing to argue for the UK's retention in the European Union.
"We always accept candidates. At the moment, we have twelve out of 72 possible places, mainly based in the south of the country and in London. We want to have candidates further north and in Scotland", Pierre Kirk, the leader of this developing party, which claims to be the exact opposite of the pro-Brexit UKIP party, told EUROPE. He stressed the importance of giving a voice to young pro-European British people who were underage to vote in the June 2016 referendum.
This financial regulatory lawyer decided to commit to stopping the Brexit by looking at the "chaos" resulting from the parliamentary debate in Westminster during which the voice of those in favour of maintaining the United Kingdom was inaudible. And to also refer to the 6 million signatures of the anti-Brexit petition.
According to Mr Kirk, the "centrist" party is the only British party that is "100% pro-European". The other parties hostile to Brexit - the Change UK party, which resulted from a dissent of Labour and Conservative MPs, LibDem and Greens - "claim" only to be pro-European. Mr Kirk referred in particular to the statement by Chuka Umunna, a former Labour member in charge of Change UK, who advocated leaving the UK's internal market if London was forced to accept free movement.
What can be done to ensure that the United Kingdom does not leave the EU? "The only solution" is to revoke Article 50 of the Treaty, according to Mr Kirk, for whom the action of the UKEUP party will not stop there. "We will have to analyse why our relationship with the EU has come to this and make sure that it does not happen again", he stressed.
The European elections are certainly shaping up to be a kind of new referendum for or against keeping the country in the EU. But the question of the United Kingdom's place in Europe will not stop with the European elections, the UKEUP leader said. Candidates with a pro-European agenda will be presented at the next British legislative elections.
When asked about his long-term vision of the United Kingdom in the EU, Mr Kirk considered that the questions of membership of the Schengen area of free movement, or even the euro, will be worth asking after the defeat of Brexit. In the meantime, even if we are not totally satisfied with the current level of integration, our reaction should not be to flee, but to stay and face the difficulties, he said.
Mr Kirk also asked the EU not to consider the British as second-class European citizens. As long as it remains a member of the EU, the United Kingdom must continue to enjoy the same rights and obligations. This is particularly true for the process of appointing a British European Commissioner for the next Commission, acting as if the United Kingdom would remain in the EU after 31 October. (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)