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Peter Packham

@leedsblue67.bsky.social
5.4K followers 884 following 384 posts

Chair of Leeds for Europe. Director of European Movement UK. Opinions my own. ITFC

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Reposted by Peter Packham
Leeds for Europe @leedseurope.bsky.social · 22h
The starting pistol has been fired, support Leeds for Europe on the road back to the EU 🇪🇺 ko-fi.com/leedsforeurope
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Leeds for Europe @leedseurope.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Ready to have your say? 🗣️ Join @europeanmovement.co.uk today & automatically become a member of your local grassroots branch. Under 35? Check out @yem1.bsky.social! 🇪🇺 Plus, the national AGM comes to Leeds City Museum on Saturday, Nov 14! 🏛️ Sign up here: www.europeanmovement.co.uk/membership
europeanmovement.co.uk
European Movement
If you believe in a brighter European future for our country - for the economy, for opportunities, for our security, and for our human rights - join the European Movement today.
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Leeds for Europe @leedseurope.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
PM Burnham admits Brexit did “more harm than good”! 🚨 In @yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk 📰, Chair @leedsblue67.bsky.social says this watershed moment is a "unique window of opportunity." 🚪 Door is open to rethink our EU ties. 🇪🇺 It’s time to step off the sidelines! 🗳️ #RejoinEU #Leeds #Brexit 👇
A scanned clipping of a published letter to the editor in the Yorkshire Evening Post on Friday, October 2, 2026, headlined "It's time to have your say" by Peter Packham, Chair, Leeds for Europe.   The letter describes Prime Minister Andy Burnham's frank admission that Brexit has done the UK "more harm than good" as a watershed moment. With the PM acknowledging lost control over the economy and immigration, it argues the door is finally open to rethink the relationship with the European Union.   Because the future relationship hasn't been dictated yet, the author calls this a "unique window of opportunity" and urges those minded to support rejoining to step off the sidelines and join the European Movement UK. It notes that doing so automatically joins them to their local grassroots branch, like Leeds for Europe.   The letter stresses the importance of younger generations having their say, encouraging older readers to mention the under-35s youth wing, the Young European Movement, to their children and grandchildren.   Finally, it notes a bonus for Yorkshire members: the European Movement is holding its national AGM in person at the Leeds City Museum on Saturday, November 14, giving local members the perfect opportunity to participate.
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Peter Packham @leedsblue67.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Currently touring the battlefields of the Western Front. Nothing quite prepares you for the sheer size of the Thiepval Memorial that has the names of 72,000 British soldiers killed in the Battle of the Somme in 1916 with no known graves.
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Leeds for Europe @leedseurope.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
Chair @leedsblue67.bsky.social in @metro.co.uk 📰 today: #AndyBurnham mustn’t repeat #UKLabour & main rivals' general election error 🗳️ & ignore the #Brexit 🐘 in the room! No domestic fix works 🔧 while #UKTrade barriers remain 📉. Time for an urgent #EU 🇪🇺 reset! #Leeds #UKEconomy #RejoinEU
Newspaper clipping from 28 July 2027, showing a letter published in the Metro newspaper from Peter Packham, Chair of Leeds for Europe. It calls for a pragmatic reset of trade relations with the European Union.
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Leeds for Europe @leedseurope.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
Chair @leedsblue67.bsky.social is on @financialtimes.com letters page today, arguing for an urgent ‘listen to the North’ #EU reset by #AndyBurnham. #Brexit failed. A pragmatic reset with our European neighbours is urgently needed. No time to ease up, PM! #Yorkshire #NorthEast #UKEconomy #RejoinEU
Letter headed "England's north is exposed to trade friction with the EU", which appeared in the Financial Times on 27 July 2026. Peter Packham, Chair of Leeds for Europe, notes Yorkshire and the North of England's dependence on EU exports and calls for new Prime Minister Andy Burnham to quickly improve relations with the bloc.
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Leeds for Europe @leedseurope.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
"Yorkshire misses out on £641m as a result of Brexit" 📉 Chair @leedsblue67.bsky.social in today's @yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk cites @bestforbritain.org data: 🏭 Supply chains choked by red tape 👛 Families paying the price Time for a real Europe 'reset' from #UKLabour #AndyBurnham. #Leeds #RejoinEU
Letter headed "Region missing out on £641m as a result of Brexit", which appeared in the Yorkshire Evening Post on 14 July 2026. Peter Packham, Chair of Leeds for Europe, points to Best for Britain research showing Yorkshire would be better off by an estimated £641m if the UK rejoined the European Union.
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Leeds for Europe @leedseurope.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
In today's @yorkshirepost.co.uk, Chair @leedsblue67.bsky.social highlights how #Brexit stripped Britain's young of rights to work, study & travel across 27 countries. A reminder for #AndyBurnham entering Downing Street: an #EU reset must be a top priority. "Do it for the kids." 👇 #RejoinEU #Leeds
A letter headed "Left behind", which appeared in The Yorkshire Post on 18 July 2026. Peter Packham, Chair of Leeds for Europe, cites Lord Neil Kinnock's call to "do it for the kids" and build better relations with the European Union. It is an appeal that should find favour with both parents and grandparents, as doing so should increase opportunities for their offspring.
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Peter Packham @leedsblue67.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
Leeds for Europe Vice Chair @jazz072.bsky.social nails it in today's Yorkshire Post: Leave voters were sold a confidence trick, and the polls show they know it. It is time for Andy Burnham and his new government to offer a genuine route back to Europe. #RejoinEU
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Peter Packham @leedsblue67.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
My first piece on Substack, please give it a read and share.🙏
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Suffolk for Europe @suffolkforeurope.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
Suffolk Show: second day. Very positive energy. #Rejoin #Europe #EuropeanUnion #FBPE @suffolkforeurope.bsky.social
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Peter Packham @leedsblue67.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
Goodbye mum, sleep well.❤️
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Peter Packham @leedsblue67.bsky.social · 10/03/2026
I've just signed a petition calling on the UK government to give British businesses a better deal with Europe. Add your name: www.europeanmovement.co.uk/single-marke...
europeanmovement.co.uk
British businesses need a better deal with Europe
Sign our petition to Prime Minister Keir Starmer and demand a better deal for British businesses trading with Europe
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Peter Packham @leedsblue67.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
I've just written to my MP asking them to attend the Brexit Referendum Anniversary Debate. You can do the same in just two minutes: www.europeanmovement.co.uk/contact-mp-e...
europeanmovement.co.uk
Urge Your MP to Attend the Debate on the EU Referendum Anniversary
Nearly a decade after the 2016 referendum, the effects of Brexit are no longer theoretical. They are visible in the economy, in pressures on public finances, and in the UK’s changing role internationa...
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Peter Packham @leedsblue67.bsky.social · 31/01/2026
After a few of days thinking I had flu I find I haven’t.🤒😷 Help me feel a bit better by joining the European Movement on our Membership Action Day www.europeanmovement.co.uk/membership-2...
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Peter Packham @leedsblue67.bsky.social · 15/01/2026
Time to join EMUK and the campaign to restore our full links to the European Union. www.europeanmovement.co.uk/membership-2...
europeanmovement.co.uk
Join the European Movement in 2026
Together, we can push for bolder action from the government, make sure the voices of people affected by Brexit are heard, and start reclaiming rights and freedoms we lost when we left the EU.
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Peter Packham @leedsblue67.bsky.social · 06/12/2025
Oh, so that’s why the £26 billion tax increases in the budget didn’t include banks🤔
theguardian.com
JP Morgan boss gave go-ahead for new £3bn tower in London after UK assurances
Decision by US bank’s CEO Jamie Dimon followed trip to New York by top adviser to Keir Starmer
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Leeds for Europe @leedseurope.bsky.social · 25/11/2025
We can’t leave #Farage & #ReformUK to “investigate” Russian influence in their own party! Leeds Chair @leedsblue67.bsky.social has written to @metro.co.uk urging #Starmer to back a public inquiry. There's a petition you can sign calling for this, too: petition.parliament.uk/petitions/74...
This letter appeared in the UK Metro newspaper on 25 January 2025. Peter Packham, Chair of Leeds for Europe, is supporting calls for a public inquiry into Russian influence in British politics.
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Peter Packham @leedsblue67.bsky.social · 15/11/2025
Last night I wasted over £100 to see Bob Dylan at the Leeds Arena. He performed on an unlit black stage, I couldn't actually see him because there were no screens, there was no interaction with the audience and I don't even think it was him singing most of the time.
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Leeds for Europe @leedseurope.bsky.social · 25/10/2025
📬 Reminders from Huddersfield Daily Examiner ✉️page: 🔹 #Farage ally at #ReformUK bribed by Putin’s Russia. “Very bad dudes” - every one of them! 🔹 “Probably most significant thing” do to boost UK economy? Rejoin the #EU #SingleMarket. ⌚time this weekend? Add your voice - ✍️write to your local paper!
These two letters appeared in the Huddersfield Daily Examiner newspaper on 25 October 2025. The first suggests the description by Nigel Farage of Vladimir Putin as "a very bad dude" is inadequate - given the Russian leaders has been the cause of hundreds of thousands of dealth. The second, that the UK should consider at least joining the European Single Market to boost its economy.
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Leeds for Europe @leedseurope.bsky.social · 07/10/2025
“This is most definitely not a fringe political scandal. It is a direct admission that Russian-aligned money penetrated Farage’s immediate orbit during a pivotal chapter in Brexit.”
searchlightmagazine.com
Reform's Russian 'asset' - the Kremlin shadow over Nigel Farage | Searchlight
Nathan Gill - Russian asset On 26 September, former Welsh Brexit Party MEP and Reform UK official Nathan Gill pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey to eight coun ...
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Leeds for Europe @leedseurope.bsky.social · 07/10/2025
We are just six…yes just SIX followers away from 6,000. Please give us a follow and/or share and help us grow our community. 🙏
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Jo BLM FBPE @jazz072.bsky.social · 14/09/2025
Whilst Mahmood tries to outdo Braverman in her rhetoric, and Ministers spout about being a nation where free speech thrives, their utter cowardice in failing to face down racism and hate has enabled this to happen. Angry and heartbroken for this young woman. share.google/oFaJtpAkLC8i...
share.google
Sikh woman raped in ‘brutal and racist’ attack speaks out as police hunt two men
The Sikh Federation UK said the perpetrators told the woman ‘You don’t belong in this country, get out’
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Leeds for Europe @leedseurope.bsky.social · 14/09/2025
Our chair @leedsblue67.bsky.social reports on our visit to Lille and the Braderie. Find out what people were thinking just before their government fell on Monday. If you don’t follow @yorkshirebylines.co.uk you should.
yorkshirebylines.co.uk
Would the EU really welcome the UK back?
Campaigners Leeds for Europe canvassed on the streets of Lille and found warm feelings toward the UK, despite EU uncertainty
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Peter Packham @leedsblue67.bsky.social · 10/08/2025
This bloke talks sense😉
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Leeds for Europe @leedseurope.bsky.social · 22/07/2025
Reform Ltd’s Richard Tice declares war on anybody investing in solar energy projects in Lincolnshire whilst over the Humber, Reform Ltd mayor of Hull & East Yorkshire has secured a £700,000 government grant for…wait for it…solar energy projects🤦‍♂️ Grifters and opportunists
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Peter Packham @leedsblue67.bsky.social · 23/07/2025
Come on, you can’t resist Jack…
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Peter Packham @leedsblue67.bsky.social · 10/07/2025
Does @europeanmovement.co.uk still regard it suitable to support X? www.euractiv.com/section/tech...
euractiv.com
Poland formally asks EU to investigate Elon Musk's Grok AI chatbot - Euractiv
"What we are seeing from X right now could be considered as a major infringement of the DSA," said the Polish Deputy Prime Minister's letter to the EU's Tech Commissioner on Wednesday.
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Peter Packham @leedsblue67.bsky.social · 09/07/2025
A question…Is @europeanmovement.co.uk still happy supporting the X platform?
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Leeds for Europe @leedseurope.bsky.social · 02/07/2025
Our chair @leedsblue67.bsky.social corrects the false statements in a letter published by Yorkshire Evening Post last week “I sometimes despair at the level of knowledge displayed by some of the correspondents to your letters page”
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Peter Packham @leedsblue67.bsky.social · 25/06/2025
Nine years ago today I went to Italy for a weeks holiday. On arrival at Verona airport a small group passengers strode up to the Non EU citizens gate, loudly asserting that we had left the EU. They were not happy when they were sent back to the end of EU citizens queue😂
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Peter Packham @leedsblue67.bsky.social · 22/06/2025
Iran hasn’t left the negotiating table, in fact it was talking to European leaders only on Friday…
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Leeds for Europe @leedseurope.bsky.social · 22/06/2025
He is, of course, quite mad… #RejectTrumpRejoinEU
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Leeds for Europe @leedseurope.bsky.social · 17/06/2025
Chair @leedsblue67.bsky.social welcomes Starmer's recent 'EU reset' in this @yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk letter. But it doesn't go far enough. eg. It won't deliver all of the EU single market & customs union benefits "Build on this reset - it's a beginning - to minimise Brexit's impact", says Peter
This letter appeared in the Yorkshire Evening Post on 17 June 2025. Peter Packham, Chair of Leeds for Europe, welcomes a recent "reset" of relations with the European Union ...but does not believe it goes far enough. He is critical of those who have simply condemned this; they are just showing 'slavish devotion to politicial dogma', he maintains.
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Peter Packham @leedsblue67.bsky.social · 17/06/2025
The best way to deal with a bully 🤔
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Peter Packham @leedsblue67.bsky.social · 04/06/2025
This week, I'll be mostly undermining a democratic vote... (Yorkshire Evening Post letters)
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Peter Packham @leedsblue67.bsky.social · 27/05/2025
“A 53-year-old white British man, believed to be the driver of the vehicle, has been arrested, Merseyside Police say” Farage - Meh
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Leeds for Europe @leedseurope.bsky.social · 27/05/2025
On this day in 2015 the die was cast…
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Leeds for Europe @leedseurope.bsky.social · 27/05/2025
@yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk seeking comments on its Facebook page that - at least a sample of which are likely to appear in its print edition m.facebook.com/story.php?st...
m.facebook.com
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Peter Packham @leedsblue67.bsky.social · 12/05/2025
My Dad ended his days in a care home. He was suffering from dementia and was a difficult patient. The staff who cared for him were all from Eastern Europe. They treated him with kindness and respect. My family will never forget those young "migrants" and the care they gave my dad.
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Leeds for Europe @leedseurope.bsky.social · 09/05/2025
@marchforrejoin.co.uk's Peter Corr is joining us for our "Rejoin Day" walking tour this Sunday 2.30pm (11 May) of Leeds's historic links to the continent - says Chair @leedsblue67.bsky.social in today's @yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk Led by @leedstours.bsky.social (see comments for more info & tickets)
This letter appeared in the Yorkshire Evening Post on 9 May 2025. It highights a walking tour that Leeds for Europe is hosting on Sunday 11 May about the city's historic links to the continent. It is one of a number of "Rejoin Day" events being held this weekend and the co-founder of "Rejoin Day" organiser March for Rejoin, Peter Corr, is participating in the Leeds event.
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Peter Packham @leedsblue67.bsky.social · 26/04/2025
This is very sinister. Between 1933-1939 360,000 people with disabilities were sterilised by the Nazis and after 1939 about 250,000 were “euthanised”. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
Why does RFK Jr want to put my family on an ‘autism registry’? | Deborah Bloom
I’m scared about the health secretary’s vow to find the cause behind the so-called ‘autism epidemic’
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Leeds for Europe @leedseurope.bsky.social · 22/04/2025
www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/opinion...
yorkshirepost.co.uk
Leeds should proudly display its European colours - Yorkshire Post Letters
From: Peter Packham, Chair, Leeds for Europe, Roundhay, Leeds.
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Leeds for Europe @leedseurope.bsky.social · 22/04/2025
commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-bri...
commonslibrary.parliament.uk
Trading relationship with the EU
There will be a Westminster Hall debate on the UK trading relationship with the EU on Thursday 24 April at 3:00pm
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Leeds for Europe @leedseurope.bsky.social · 23/04/2025
www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/ilkleyn...
thetelegraphandargus.co.uk
Reader letter: The Government should stop dragging its feet on Europe
SIR - MPs are having a debate on our trading relationship with the European Union on Thursday, April 24. It’s timely.
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Leeds for Europe @leedseurope.bsky.social · 23/04/2025
“Nigel Farage thinks net zero is the new Brexit. Starmer can prove him wrong” The problem is that Starmer prefers to offer Reform lite policies than prove Farage wrong… www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
Nigel Farage thinks net zero is the new Brexit. Starmer can prove him wrong | Rafael Behr
Labour must deliver the green transition voters want, leaving Reform and the Tories on the side of economic decline and dictators, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr
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Leeds for Europe @leedseurope.bsky.social · 22/04/2025
Letter in @yorkshirepost.co.uk from Vice Chair @jazz072.bsky.social points to Jeremy Hunt & shady think tank not saying Brexit's good ...just not as bad as you thought it was! 'Improve UK economic performance', says Hunt. WE AGREE. So make it easier for UK firms to trade with Europe & then #RejoinEU
These letters appeared in The Yorkshire Post on 22 April 2025. They include one in which Jas Olak, Vice Chair of Leeds for Europe, takes issue with a recent report from think tank Policy Exchange which includes a foreward from former Conservative Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt. Ms Olak notes that neither wishes to simply defend Brexit. Instead, they want to persuade people it is not as bad as many perceive it to be. Improving EU trading relations and then rejoining would serve to support Mr Hunt's claimed desire to see an improvement in UK economic performance, says Ms Olak.
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Leeds for Europe @leedseurope.bsky.social · 02/04/2025
Our new goal is live on Ko-fi! Any support, big or small will help us buy a supply of stickers for street stalls and events. 🙏 ko-fi.com/leedsforeuro...
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Peter Packham @leedsblue67.bsky.social · 24/03/2025
By continuing to use the X platform @europeanmovement.co.uk supports Musk’s attempts to suppress freedom of speech.
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