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Reposted by Brexit the Elephant

Andrew Hesselden @andrewhesselden.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

As Gibraltar dismantles its border with 🇪🇸 Spain and the 🇬🇧 British territory becomes part of the Schengen zone, Brexit the Elephant was feeling confused. “Why, if this is such a good idea for Gibraltar, is it not also a really splendid idea for the rest of the UK too?“ #BrexitTheElephant #RejoinEU

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Andrew Hesselden @andrewhesselden.bsky.social · 20/06/2026

#BrexitTheElephant is joining thousands of people in London today. Because we want to move forwards. Towards more opportunities. More cooperation. More Freedom of Movement. And a closer relationship with our European neighbours. 🇪🇺🐘 #RejoinEU #RejoinMarch

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Brexit the Elephant @brexitelephant.bsky.social · 14/04/2026

Brexit is the elephant in the room. It’s still here. Still shaping lives. Still limiting Freedom of Movement. Time to stop ignoring it — and start fixing it. Give it some Ele Love 🐘♥️🇪🇺🇬🇧 Sign and share 👇 petition.parliament.uk/petitions/74...

petition.parliament.uk

Petition: Apply to Rejoin the EU as soon as possible to increase growth in the UK

We believe Brexit's not working. The OBR judges that the UK economy is smaller and trade is weaker because of Brexit, and it will just get worse. 10 years after the Brexit vote, let's apply to rejoin ...

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Andrew Hesselden @andrewhesselden.bsky.social · 04/04/2026

Brexit the Elephant has been skiing in the Alps. “It’s a shame it’s more difficult now for young Brits to be ski instructors or work in chalets as hosts,” he reflected as he traversed the piste. #BrexitTheElephant #VoicesofLostFOM #SaveFOM

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Andrew Hesselden @andrewhesselden.bsky.social · 02/01/2026

Where would you like to see #BrexitTheElephant hang out in 2026? #VoicesofLostFOM #SaveFOM #ExitBrexit #RejoinEU #FBPE

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Andrew Hesselden @andrewhesselden.bsky.social · 01/01/2026

Brexit the Elephant is enjoying the New Years Eve fireworks in London. “I hope they do that blue EU flag thing with the lights on the London Eye again”, he thought to himself mischievously. “Let’s hope they notice me in 2026” #BrexitTheElephant

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Brexit the Elephant @brexitelephant.bsky.social · 24/12/2025

Brexit the Elephant wishes you all a fabulous Christmas and a Very Happy New Year. “I wonder if 2026 will be the year we all rejoin the EU”, he wondered, hopefully. #BrexitTheElephant 🎄🐘 🎄🐘 🎄🐘 🎄🐘 🎄🐘

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Brexit the Elephant @brexitelephant.bsky.social · 24/12/2025

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Andrew Hesselden @andrewhesselden.bsky.social · 24/12/2025

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Andrew Hesselden @andrewhesselden.bsky.social · 08/12/2025

Brexit the Elephant is exhausted and realises no one in Westminster actually wants to see him any more. “They’re too busy making up excuses about why FOM is about small boats and why people don’t like immigrants” “Perhaps they should actually ask people”, he lamented. #BrexitTheElephant

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Andrew Hesselden @andrewhesselden.bsky.social · 26/11/2025

Brexit the Elephant decided to stand on the despatch box to see if Rachel Reeves would notice him as she read out her budget. “I reckon she knows I’m here”. “But they’re still pretending I’m not, though”, he lamented. #BrexitTheElephant #Budget2026 #Budget #ExitBrexit

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Andrew Hesselden @andrewhesselden.bsky.social · 16/11/2025

Brexit the Elephant had a fun day out in Oxford attending the @europeanmovement.co.uk AGM. He wondered if he should apply to read PPE, Modern European Languages, or Banana Horticulture. #BrexitTheElephant #VoicesofLostFOM #SaveFOM #RejoinEU

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Andrew Hesselden @andrewhesselden.bsky.social · 16/11/2025

Delighted and honoured to be elected to the Council of @europeanmovement.co.uk yesterday at the AGM in Oxford. Also delighted my motion on “A Bolder Campaign for People Mobility for All Ages” was passed too. Thank you everyone who voted 🙏. @savefom.bsky.social @brexitelephant.bsky.social

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Andrew Hesselden @andrewhesselden.bsky.social · 10/11/2025

Brexit the Elephant thinks Lord Kinnock is probably right in his assessment. “But I don’t live in the broom 🧹 cupboard”, he thought, also rather offended at being referred to as a ‘mammoth’. 😱 observer.co.uk/news/busines... #BrexitTheElephant

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Andrew Hesselden @andrewhesselden.bsky.social · 10/11/2025

Brexit the Elephant is with Larry picking up a few ‘provisions’ for the Downing Street pantry. “Food and living costs are so much more expensive since Brexit,” he reflected. 🍌 🐟 🍗 🥛 Larry sniffed suspiciously at the chicken because it was marked “Not for EU”. #BrexitTheElephant #CostofLiving

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Andrew Hesselden @andrewhesselden.bsky.social · 07/11/2025

Brexit the Elephant was having difficulty getting his paw to scan on the new EES machines at the airport. “I wonder if it likes bananas,” he mused. “After all, Brexit *is* bananas”, he reasoned, rather proud of his aptitude for logical reasoning. #BrexitTheElephant #VoicesofLostFOM #SaveFOM

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Andrew Hesselden @andrewhesselden.bsky.social · 08/11/2025

Brexit the Elephant has been in the Palace of Westminster again this week to see if any British politician is able to see him yet. “Doo-doo-doo… Come on and do the Conga” he hummed to himself. 🎵 🎶 #BrexitTheElephant #StopBrexit #FBPE #ExitBrexit

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Andrew Hesselden @andrewhesselden.bsky.social · 07/11/2025

Brexit the Elephant was wondering whether the new passport machine in Spain would accept his paw print 🐾. And he was rather hoping that no one would ask him for an animal health certificate. “Wouldn’t it have been much simpler to have stayed in the EU?”, he pondered. #BrexitTheElephant #SaveFOM

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Andrew Hesselden @andrewhesselden.bsky.social · 07/11/2025

“I wonder why, five years after Brexit, the British government still hasn’t tried to solve the 90-in-180-day problem”, wondered Brexit the Elephant “Do you think they even notice the problems it causes?” #BrexitTheElephant #SaveFOM

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Andrew Hesselden @andrewhesselden.bsky.social · 29/10/2025

At the recent @therejoineuparty.com conference I was delighted to present on behalf of @savefom.bsky.social a keynote speech “Winning the Argument on Freedom of Movement”. Delighted to see this now from @zackpolanski.bsky.social

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Andrew Hesselden @andrewhesselden.bsky.social · 29/10/2025

Delighted to see @zackpolanski.bsky.social agrees with me and @savefom.bsky.social that restoring mutual Freedom of Movement of people should be a priority and a first stage in rebuilding relations with the EU. Just fantastic. ♥️ www.politico.eu/article/end-...

politico.eu

Ending EU free movement a ‘disaster’ for Britain, says Green Party’s Zack Polanski

The party’s new leader calls for the migration pact to be reinstated as he sets out his stall on Brexit.

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Brexit the Elephant @brexitelephant.bsky.social · 07/10/2025

I sneaked along **undercover** with @andrewhesselden.bsky.social on his recent trip to Brussels. bsky.app/profile/andr... #BrexitTheElephant

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Brexit the Elephant @brexitelephant.bsky.social · 07/10/2025

I sneaked along **undercover** with @andrewhesselden.bsky.social on his recent trip to Brussels. bsky.app/profile/andr... #BrexitTheElephant

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Andrew Hesselden @andrewhesselden.bsky.social · 07/10/2025

As I took #BrexitTheElephant on a trip to Brussels I was thinking about the 90-in-180-day problem and how to help politicians understand it better. At the end of the thread 🧵 below there are some ideas you could send to your MP if you want to help. (Or tag them). bsky.app/profile/andr...

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Andrew Hesselden @andrewhesselden.bsky.social · 18/09/2025

Brexit the Elephant is very excited to be travelling to Brussels, capital of 🍺 Beer, Chips 🍟 and Chocolate 🍫 and of course one of the homes of the European Parliament 🇪🇺. “I wonder if anyone will notice me in Brussels” he sighed. …still feeling invisible in Westminster. #BrexitTheElephant

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Brexit the Elephant @brexitelephant.bsky.social · 18/09/2025

Woo hoo! 3,000 ele-followers. Thank you 🙏 🐘 ♥️ #BrexitTheElephant

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Brexit the Elephant @brexitelephant.bsky.social · 11/09/2025

Excellent work @libdems.org.uk So ele-excited to see politicians really beginning to talk more about the damage Brexit has caused. 👏 #BrexitTheElephant.

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Brexit the Elephant @brexitelephant.bsky.social · 11/09/2025

Excellent work @libdems.org.uk So ele-excited to see politicians really beginning to talk more about the damage Brexit has caused. 👏 #BrexitTheElephant.

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Brexit the Elephant @brexitelephant.bsky.social · 04/09/2025

Woo hoo! I’ve got 3,000 followers! A big ele thank you! 🐘 ♥️

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Andrew Hesselden @andrewhesselden.bsky.social · 04/09/2025

Yesterday #BrexitTheElephant was at the impressive Escuela de Arquitectura in Granada with @savefom.bsky.social for Day 1 of @fomatplay.bsky.social congress. “I noticed the B_____ word on the agenda quite a lot…”, he mused, quietly pleased 🇬🇧 UK gov is starting to realise mobility needs fixing.

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Andrew Hesselden @andrewhesselden.bsky.social · 02/09/2025

“I’ll never understand why British politicians took everyone’s Freedom of Movement away. Did they realise what they were doing?”. 😢 🐘 #VoicesofLostFOM #SaveFOM #BrexitTheElephant #fomatplay 2/2

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Andrew Hesselden @andrewhesselden.bsky.social · 02/09/2025

Brexit the Elephant is in Granada 🇪🇸 this week with @savefom.bsky.social at @fomatplay.bsky.social finding out how losing Freedom of Movement after Brexit has affected people all across Europe. “¡España me encanta!” he reflected, suddenly realising that he was thinking in Spanish. 1/2

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Andrew Hesselden @andrewhesselden.bsky.social · 26/08/2025

Brexit, the Elephant is in his kayak in the River Thames in London 🇬🇧. “I’d better not lose the paddle”, he thought. “Otherwise I’d be like the Government is on Brexit —up the creek without a paddle” #VoicesofLostFOM #SaveFOM #RejoinEU #BrexitTheElephant

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Andrew Hesselden @andrewhesselden.bsky.social · 25/08/2025

Will you be there on 18 October for the 4th Annual Rejoin March? Find out more at marchforrejoin.co.uk And don’t forget to follow @marchforrejoin.co.uk for the latest updates. #VoicesofLostFOM #SaveFOM #RejoinEU #RejoinMarch #BrexitTheElephant

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Andrew Hesselden @andrewhesselden.bsky.social · 23/08/2025

Brexit the Elephant had to change his mobile phone contract before going away because some of them stopped free EU roaming when Brexit happened. #BrexitTheElephant #TrunkCalls

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Andrew Hesselden @andrewhesselden.bsky.social · 24/04/2025

☀️ Brexit the Elephant is getting ready for his summer holidays 🏝️ by practising standing in long queues. “I don’t suppose anyone will realise they’re in this big queue because of me”, he mumbled to himself, quietly. #BrexitTheElephant #ExitBrexit #SaveFOM

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Andrew Hesselden @andrewhesselden.bsky.social · 16/05/2025

Thread on solving the 90-in-180 day problem 🧵 The solutions to the 90-in-180 day problem are many and varied. Politicians really have **no** excuse for inaction. Any of the following provide models for solutions or are solutions in themselves…

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Andrew Hesselden @andrewhesselden.bsky.social · 16/05/2025

If any industry bodies (music, travel, haulage, sailing, consulting, law, CBI etc ) would like to get behind a campaign to make any of this happen then please contact me as I’m bringing a few industries together for talks who are interested. My DMs are open and I can set up a time to talk.

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Andrew Hesselden @andrewhesselden.bsky.social · 16/05/2025

None of these ideas “break Schengen” in any way and nor do they require any country to leave the Schengen zone. The detail of how to make these happen is for civil servants and lawyers to work out once politicians decide they want to do it. No idea is “illegal”. Laws can be changed if necessary.

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Andrew Hesselden @andrewhesselden.bsky.social · 16/05/2025

7. Low requirement, low cost visas. Potentially issued instantly and printed out online for certain kinds of traveller.

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Andrew Hesselden @andrewhesselden.bsky.social · 16/05/2025

6. Automatically issued visas for certain categories of traveller. France has been floating this idea in the Senate and Assemblée Nationale for British property owners, but I’d prefer more inclusive solutions eg for those who rent homes and for younger people who want to work or study seasonally.

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Andrew Hesselden @andrewhesselden.bsky.social · 16/05/2025

5. Changes to the Schengen Visa Waiver (for example making the 90 days “per visit” or making it 365 in 365). This would solve the problem of a British traveller not being allowed into Italy for a weekend after spending 90 days in France.

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Andrew Hesselden @andrewhesselden.bsky.social · 16/05/2025

4. Bilateral agreements on visa waivers like the ones New Zealand, Canada, USA and others have. Most of these seem to be from pre-Schengen times but their existence proves their ongoing compatibility with Schengen. Some say they can’t be done. I disagree because most things can be made to work.

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Andrew Hesselden @andrewhesselden.bsky.social · 16/05/2025

3. Third, a new agreement on FOM of people, rather like Switzerland has. Professor Diego Acosta wrote a paper on this suggesting it as a model for example for UK and Spain to try. Could solve many of the Gibraltar problems.

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Andrew Hesselden @andrewhesselden.bsky.social · 16/05/2025

2. Second, rejoining the single market. Probably easier and it’s still Brexit but it’s Brexit without any of the problems Brexit has caused.

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Andrew Hesselden @andrewhesselden.bsky.social · 16/05/2025

1. First, the big one: rejoining the EU. Solves a lot of problems.

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