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Leeds for Europe @leedseurope.bsky.social · 19h

The starting pistol has been fired, support Leeds for Europe on the road back to the EU 🇪🇺 ko-fi.com/leedsforeurope

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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Leeds for Europe @leedseurope.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

When the UK announced a new security unit to fight Kremlin troll farms, Nigel Farage immediately claimed he was the real target. 🎯 Today's @bradfordtanda.bsky.social 📰 letter nails the hypocrisy. Even #Farage thinks of Farage when 🇷🇺 interference in 🇬🇧 #UKPolitics is raised! #ReformUK #Bradford 👇

A scanned clipping of a published letter to the editor in the Telegraph & Argus on Friday, October 2, 2026, headlined "Links to Moscow". Next to the text is a photo of Reform UK leader Nigel Farage standing in front of a Union Jack flag. The letter notes that Prime Minister Andy Burnham recently announced a National Centre for Information Defence to protect Britain from hostile state disinformation, specifically from Putin's Russia, with guarantees it will not police domestic dissent. Yet Nigel Farage quickly branded it an Orwellian "Ministry of Truth" and claimed Reform UK is the target. The author asks why a British politician assumes a crackdown on hostile foreign troll farms is a personal attack. It points out that Farage's political ecosystem has uncomfortable links to Moscow: Farage made paid appearances on Russia Today, backer Arron Banks held Russian embassy meetings, and in 2014 Farage accused the EU of "poking the Russian bear" over Ukraine. Most damningly, his former close ally and Reform UK Wales leader Nathan Gill is serving 10-and-a-half years in prison for taking bribes to promote pro-Russian propaganda. The letter quotes US Democrat Jamie Raskin branding Farage a "Putin-loving free speech impostor," and concludes that if Reform is not acting as a conduit for Russian disinformation, they have nothing to fear, stating: "Methinks the gentleman doth protest too much - and far too quickly."

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Leeds for Europe @leedseurope.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Andy Burnham wants to look at the pros and cons of the options for the UK’s relationship with the EU. Help convince hi rejoining is the best option by voting in this poll in his local paper @manchestereveningnews.co.uk Link www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/uk-news...

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Leeds for Europe @leedseurope.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

#Farage fans claim £72m is needed from offshore crypto-billionaires to “level the playing field” with union-backed #UKLabour. 💰 A @yorkshirepost.co.uk ✉️ notes it’ll take unions a decade to raise from 🇬🇧 members what #ReformUK got—in one day—from expat 🇹🇭 & 🇭🇰 tycoons. #UKPolitics #DarkMoney 👇

A scanned clipping of a published letter to the editor in The Yorkshire Post on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, headlined "Defending Farage". The letter strongly refutes an earlier correspondent's defence of Nigel Farage regarding colossal sums of money funnelled to him and Reform UK by foreign-based bitcoin billionaires. It dismantles the claim that this funding "levels the playing field" with Labour's trade union support, pointing out that Sheffield-born offshore billionaires Christopher Harborne and Ben Delo wired £72m to Reform UK in a single day. With trade union political levies averaging just 10p to 20p per week from members, it would take affiliated unions nearly a decade to match that sum. The text rejects Reform's claim that their donors "want nothing," noting that people do not amass fortunes by squandering millions without expecting returns. It highlights that Reform actively promotes cryptocurrency policies that directly benefit these two men, and notes that Farage lobbied Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey on the subject in a private meeting in September 2025. It contrasts trade union funds—which come from millions of British workers whose taxes fund public services—with offshore billionaires based in Thailand and Hong Kong who do not share daily concerns about NHS waiting lists, social care, or pensions, proposing that British democracy needs a rule of "no representation without taxation". Finally, it addresses attempts to deflect by raising Angela Rayner (noting she was cleared by HMRC of deliberate wrongdoing) and the Mandelson-Epstein affair, dryly observing that the only notable mutual associate shared by Farage and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein is Donald Trump.

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Leeds for Europe @leedseurope.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Leeds for Europe will be supporting Leeds Stand Up To Racism rally again this year. It is on Saturday 10:00 October, 12 noon outside Leeds art gallery. We can’t stand aside and let the far right dictate the agenda with their black shorts and balaclavas, so join us on Saturday the 10th.

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Reposted by Leeds for Europe

Matt Ford @mford.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Ezra Klein asked Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang about AI making kids worse at math and reading. Huang’s reply: “Does it matter?” Then he said he doesn’t know his own address or phone number. “We’re going to lose some fine intellectual dexterity.” www.nytimes.com/2026/09/23/o...

So the message of this research out of China, where you were seeing a lot of kids using A.I. to help them, was that when they were using the A.I., they were getting things done faster. But it turned out that the skills they were learning were not holding, that their actual personal performance, at least in the way we traditionally measure it, was degrading.

What do you think when you hear that?

The last part — I completely agree. Try to get a kid to do long division right now. The multiplication table is starting to be forgotten. Doing square roots, my goodness. Basic math is being forgotten. Does it matter?

That’s my question for you.

Yeah. I don’t think it does. I don’t think it does.

But there must be some set of skills that matter.

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. But maybe not those. We’re going to discover new ones. Just maybe not those.

There are a lot of skills that don’t matter. My first confession, I actually don’t know my address.

And I ——

I don’t really believe that to be true.

It’s completely true. Janine will tell you and Lori will tell you.

One day I had to pump gas — it was a few years ago. They needed my ZIP code, and I panicked. I didn’t know my ZIP code. I don’t know my telephone number. I forget these things. I can live with it.

But let me take the other side because I don’t want to fall into a thing where, because some skills can be safely offloaded ——

Yeah.

I also can’t get anywhere without a mapping system now. Never could, frankly. But I’m a big reader. And one of the skills I really value, one of the capacities I have that I really value is an attention span formed on physical books.

You’re a big reader. I’ve read about the kind of reading you do. And there is, prior to A.I., a lot of concern and noticing among college professors and others that the way people use the internet has probably shortened attention spans.
Some skills can be safely given away. Others are valuable. They are capacities that are needed for that flexibility, for that creative thinking, for that focus. It can’t be the case that everything can be traded off.

Some skills can be safely given away. Others are valuable. They are capacities that are needed for that flexibility, for that creative thinking, for that focus. It can’t be the case that everything can be traded off.

Yeah. Well, I think that we’re going to lose some finer intellectual dexterity, but we’re going to be better systems thinkers.

Today’s engineers are far better systems thinkers than I was when I graduated from school. But I was a much better transistor thinker.

What do you mean by systems thinker?

They think of large systems. Today’s computers have trillions, hundreds of trillions of transistors in them. When I first graduated from school, the first chip I worked on had 200 transistors. I knew every one of them by name. No engineer does that today. Most engineers now work well above the transistor, well above the functionality, and they’re cobbling things together to do things.

So you need to think much more about systems and interactions of systems. So some of the lower-level knowledge is gone.

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Leeds for Europe @leedseurope.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Write to your MP and encourage them to attend a 12 October debate on #RejoinEU to boost the #UKEconomy, says this @bradfordtanda.bsky.social ✉️. @europeanmovement.co.uk has an online template you can use to contact your local representative ✍️. 👇 See first comment 👇

Letter headed "MPs should join debate", which appeared in the Telegraph & Argus (Bradford) on 24 September 2026. Readers are urged to write to their MP regarding a debate on 12 October, calling on Britain to negotiate rejoining the European Union.

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Leeds for Europe @leedseurope.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Brexit's "Empire 2.0" fantasy is dead! In @yorkshirepost.co.uk 📰, Chair @leedsblue67.bsky.social says Commonwealth allies bypass London for Brussels. Leaving the Single Market cost 4% of GDP, while the EU acts as a vital superpower counterweight! ⚖️ #Leeds #Yorkshire #Brexit #RejoinEU #UKPolitics

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Leeds for Europe @leedseurope.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Is #Farage a victim of an 'establishment' plot? 🎭 Today's @yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk 📰 letter says not, dismantling "witch-hunt" claims. Demanding total transparency while dodging inquiries into a secret £5m crypto gift is hypocrisy—not persecution!🪞 #Leeds #Clacton #ReformUK #UKPolitics

A scanned clipping of a published letter to the editor in the Yorkshire Evening Post on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, headlined "There is no 'witch-hunt'".

The letter responds to an earlier defence of Nigel Farage, arguing the defence is littered with hypocrisy, irony, and deflection. It rejects claims of a "Remain fraternity and Labour witch-hunt," pointing out that Reform UK and its leader face inquiries by independent statutory bodies—including the Electoral Commission, Metropolitan Police, and Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards—over concrete issues such as an undeclared £5m crypto-gift and allegations of illegal foreign campaign funding. It questions why voters should remain silent about secret political funding, arguing that demanding transparency from state institutions while calling for a media blackout on personal finances is blatant hypocrisy. It also notes the irony of claiming Farage is being targeted over Brexit's "success," when Farage himself publicly admitted Brexit is a failure—a view shared by the British public five to one. Finally, the text highlights the hypocrisy of calling for inquiries to proceed without interruption, noting that Farage did the exact opposite by abruptly resigning to force the Clacton by-election specifically to suspend the parliamentary standards probe into his £5m gift, ultimately drawing greater scrutiny to his financial affairs.

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Leeds for Europe @leedseurope.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Playing 'whack-a-mole' on migration? 🔨 In @yorkshirepost.co.uk ✉️, Chair @leedsblue67.bsky.social exposes how #Brexit severed EU databases & returns pacts, leaving the UK stranded while populist grifters profit from chaos. Time for real security cooperation! 🤝 🇬🇧 🇪🇺 #Leeds #Yorkshire #UKPolitics

A scanned clipping of a letter to the editor published in The Yorkshire Post on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, headlined "Britain playing 'whack-a-mole' on migration" by Peter Packham, Chair of Leeds for Europe. The letter argues that while collective action across Europe is vital, the EU has already implemented its comprehensive Migration and Asylum Pact across 27 nations. In contrast, Brexit severed Britain's access to vital European biometric databases and tore up returns agreements, leaving the UK playing a hopeless game of migration 'whack-a-mole' as smuggling gangs shift routes. It condemns masked anti-migrant demonstrators dressed like bank robbers as un-British intimidation, and accuses populist figures of never wanting the crisis resolved because the chaos is too lucrative for their political grifting. It concludes that the UK must abandon isolationism and rebuild practical security cooperation with our European neighbours.

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Leeds for Europe @leedseurope.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Reform UK's migration policy "unworkable". @bradfordtanda.bsky.social 📰 letter highlights the cross-Channel backlash 🇫🇷 to #Farage's small boats pact. You cannot defend 🇬🇧 British sovereignty while pushing a plan so flawed it requires misleading your own allies! 🤥 #Bradford #ReformUK #UKPolitics

A scanned letter to the editor published in the Telegraph and Argus on Saturday, September 19, 2026, headlined "Reform UK migration policy is unworkable".

The letter discusses the Metropolitan Police criminal investigation into Reform UK's foreign funding, before focusing on an embarrassing farce from the party's Birmingham conference: a memorandum of understanding on small boats agreed between Nigel Farage and France's National Rally president, Jordan Bardella.

The agreement triggered outrage in France, with politicians accusing Bardella of capitulation. Conservative Xavier Bertrand declared the pact reduced France to a "subcontractor for Great Britain", while left-wing leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon asked why they should be the "gatekeeper for the English".

The text then highlights a glaring discrepancy: the English version states France will "ordinarily accept" returned migrants, but this is missing from the French translation. The letter concludes that you cannot claim to be great defenders of British sovereignty while pushing a migration policy so unworkable it requires misleading your own political allies across the Channel.

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Leeds for Europe @leedseurope.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

🍌 No, the EU didn't cripple us with 'bendy fruit' red tape. 🥒 @hulldailymail.co.uk 📰 letter debunks a Boris Johnson 'bananas' tabloid myth reused in the #Brexit debate. 🤥 Shape of our veg won't change when we #RejoinEU - but our economy will be in better shape! 🏋️ #Hull #Yorkshire #UKPolitics 👇

A scanned newspaper clipping from the letters page of Hull-Live.co.uk dated Friday, September 18, 2026. The headline reads "Exaggerated red tape claim is just bananas".

The letter defends a recent YouGov poll showing 61% think Brexit is a failure, 57% think it was a mistake, and 55% want to rejoin. It then mocks the 1990s tabloid myth of "straight bananas and cucumbers" peddled by journalists like Boris Johnson, noting the EU never banned curved fruit but merely adopted international grading standards.

The piece argues that politicians lied about fictional straight bananas while tearing up frictionless trade and crippling UK exporters with red tape. The letter concludes: "The shape of our fruit and veg will not change when we rejoin. But our economy will be in better shape."

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Leeds for Europe @leedseurope.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Is 🇬🇧 democracy being sold off? 💰 Today's @yorkshirepost.co.uk 📰 letters call out #Farage importing 🇺🇸-style politics: pocketing millions from offshore crypto-billionaires while pushing policies that hurt struggling families. Time to clean up #UKPolitics! 🧽 #CostOfLivingCrisis #MakeVotesMatter 🗳️ 👇

A scanned section of the letters page from The Yorkshire Post on Thursday, September 17, 2026, featuring two letters.

The first, headlined "Families' plight contrasts with Farage finances," contrasts the financial struggles of British households with Nigel Farage's personal wealth, noting a £5m undeclared windfall from a crypto-billionaire. It heavily criticizes Reform UK's proposed policies—such as keeping the two-child benefit cap and cutting sickness and disability payments—arguing this would throw hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people into poverty.

The second letter, "Straight talking," rejects excuses for Farage's £5m gift, pointing out he was the majority shareholder of a registered political party at the time and is under investigation. It highlights a staggering £72m given to Reform UK by crypto-billionaires, accusing Farage of importing the "Americanisation of our politics" where democracy is auctioned off to offshore billionaires and dark money.

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Leeds for Europe @leedseurope.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Many one-time Leave voters agree #Brexit failed & perfidious politicians peddling it failed Britain 🤥 @hulldailymail.co.uk 📰 letter says blaming EU for Brexit red tape 'ridiculous'. Bait-and-switch by Brexiters cheated voters of a less harmful Brexit 📦 #Hull #Yorkshire #UKPolitics #RejoinEU 👇

A scanned newspaper clipping from the Hull Daily Mail (Hull-Live.co.uk) dated Tuesday, September 15, 2026, with the headline "Don't blame the EU for the extra bureaucracy".

The letter responds to a previous correspondent, arguing that it is ridiculous to blame the EU for red tape on British firms, as it is a direct consequence of the UK choosing to leave and become a "third country". It points out that Leave voters were initially enticed by "soft Brexit" models like Norway or Switzerland, but were caught in a "bait-and-switch trap" resulting in a hardline trade agreement negotiated by Boris Johnson.

The piece concludes that the EU is not "punishing" the UK, but merely applying the agreed-upon third-country terms, and warns that isolationism will only invite reciprocal retaliation that harms British businesses.

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Leeds for Europe @leedseurope.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Message to all the ❄️ complaining about the EU flags at the Last Night of the Proms…

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Leeds for Europe @leedseurope.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Busy today on our #Leeds city centre street stall. EuroMonitor (Brexitometer) shows huge support for #RejoinEU and #SingleMarket. Little faith in future of #Farage, but unanimous support for RNLI.

A photo of a 'EuroMonitor' poll posted by Leeds for Europe. Participants voted using colored dot stickers across five questions with 'Yes', 'No', and 'Don't know' columns. Questions asking if Labour should pledge to rejoin the EU, if the UK should join the single market, if participants would vote to rejoin the EU, and if the RNLI should continue rescuing everyone at risk of drowning all show massive clusters of stickers in the 'Yes' column. A question asking if Nigel Farage can politically survive recent allegations shows a large majority of stickers in the 'No' column.

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Leeds for Europe @leedseurope.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Leeds for Europe has a stall in the city centre today. Questions for visitors on our EuroMonitor flipchart include whether #RejoinEU should be on the next #UKLabour manifesto, can #Farage survive & if the RNLI should continue to rescue all at risk of drowning.

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Leeds for Europe @leedseurope.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

RIP 'make Brexit work' 🪦 Andy Burnham has buried the slogan, says Chair @leedsblue67.bsky.social in today's @yorkshirepost.co.uk 📰 Our PM accepts closer EU cooperation is essential. Burnham isn't yet proposing we #RejoinEU, but this significant change is welcome! 🇪🇺 #Leeds #Yorkshire #UKPolitics 👇

A scanned letter to the editor published in The Yorkshire Post on Thursday, September 10, 2026, headlined "PM's admission on Brexit a welcome change". Written by Peter Packham, Chair of Leeds for Europe, the letter argues that Prime Minister Andy Burnham has officially buried Keir Starmer's "make Brexit work" strategy. Packham highlights Burnham's recent Commons admission that Brexit has "compounded the damage" and ushered in "low growth". The author welcomes the government's unprecedented positive noise regarding closer European collaboration, noting that while Burnham isn't proposing rejoining the EU yet, this marks a significant and welcome change in political direction.

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Leeds for Europe @leedseurope.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

"Reform UK’s car crash" 💥 #Farage claims no laws broken after #ReformUK officials caught discussing illegal foreign money. ⚖️ But letter in today's @bradfordtanda.bsky.social 📰 says not good enough: "Politicians need to know right from wrong - not just legal & illegal." 🧑‍⚖️ #UKPolitics #RejoinEU

A scanned letter to the editor published in the Bradford Telegraph & Argus on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, headlined "Reform UK's 'car crash'". The letter criticises Nigel Farage's dismissal of a Channel 4 undercover sting where senior Reform UK staff discussed channelling a £500,000 foreign donation through a UK resident to avoid detection. The author highlights Farage's defense that no laws were broken, arguing that if true, donation laws urgently need updating. It concludes that regardless of the law, the UK needs politicians who know right from wrong, not just legal from illegal.

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Leeds for Europe @leedseurope.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

In today's @yorkshirepost.co.uk 📰, James Bovington notes ✉️: Disappointing that Iceland 🇮🇸 rejected full EU membership 🇪🇺 Yet unlike Brexit 🇬🇧, they knew what they voted for 🗳️ —keeping the Single Market 🚛 freedom of movement 🌍 & youth opportunities 🎓 #Yorkshire #Erasmus #YouthMobility #RejoinEU 👇

A scanned letter to the editor published in the Yorkshire Post print edition, Saturday, September 5, 2026, written by James Bovington. The letter discusses Iceland's recent referendum on EU accession negotiations, contrasting their informed democratic process with the UK's 2016 Brexit vote. While expressing disappointment with the outcome, the author emphasizes that Iceland remains in an enviable position through the European Economic Area (EEA), retaining the full benefits of the Single Market and freedom of movement. Mr Bovington stresses that this arrangement continues to protect vital opportunities for the country's youth—benefits the UK needlessly surrendered without a clear plan or understanding of the consequences.

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Leeds for Europe @leedseurope.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

In today's @yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk 📰, something we can all agree on: "Yes, Brexit has failed." Lies were told & promises broken. If you gave it a chance in 2016, hold the architects who misled the country accountable, like #NigelFarage. Do you agree? #Yorkshire #UKPol #RejoinEU

Letter headed "Failure is undeniable", that appeared in the Yorkshire Evening Post on 2 September 2026. Whilst there is wide agreement that Brexit has failed, the writer some of its supporters are seeking scapegoats for that failure - rather than pointing the finger at those actually responsible.

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Leeds for Europe @leedseurope.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

In today's @bradfordtanda.bsky.social 📰: 54% of the North know leaving the EU was a mistake. Will our MPs use today's Brexit debate to challenge #AndyBurnham to undo #UKLabour's failed red lines—or stay silent on the £100bn hit? 📉🇪🇺 Debate details below 👇 #Bradford #Yorkshire #UKPol #RejoinEU

scanned letter to the editor in the Telegraph & Argus print edition, Wednesday, September 2, 2026. Titled "MPs should challenge PM at today's Brexit debate". It features a photograph of Prime Minister Andy Burnham. The letter highlights a YouGov poll showing 54% of people in the North consider leaving the EU a mistake. Citing Logistics UK and HMRC data, it notes a £100bn annual hit to national GDP and £1.8bn spent on customs declarations. It urges local MPs to use today's Westminster Hall debate, led by Pete Wishart, to challenge the Prime Minister to ditch previous political red lines on the Single Market and Customs Union to reverse Britain's economic decline.

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Leeds for Europe @leedseurope.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

@bradfordtanda.bsky.social 📰 this weekend: Timidity on #Brexit won't fix #UKEconomy or public services. With #UKLabour 80% pro-EU, Andy Burnham needs same vigour on Brexit as domestic issues. @snp.org MP's debate Sept 2 - commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-bri... #Bradford #UKPol #RejoinEU

Letter headed "PM too timid on Brexit", which appeared in the Telegraph & Argus (Bradford) on 29 August 2026. Ahead of a debate by MPs on 2 September 2026, the writer argues the new Prime Minister Andy Burnham needs to show the same dynamism on Europe as has already been displayed on domestic issues.

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Reposted by Leeds for Europe

Best for Britain @bestforbritain.org · 29/08/2026

Great letter in The Yorkshire Post from Peter Packham @leedseurope.bsky.social. 'The Brexit elite didn't "take back control" of our borders; they undermined our ability to manage them and incentivised criminal gangs behind the trafficking of desperate, vulnerable migrants.'

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Leeds for Europe @leedseurope.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

James Bovington tells today's @yorkshirepost.co.uk we need a #YouthMobility deal & restored EEA movement to fix a broken jobs market 🎓 In the second letter, Vice Chair @jazz072.bsky.social debunks Brexit trade myths 📉 #Leeds #Erasmus #HigherEd #UKEconomy #RejoinEU

Two published letters to the editor in The Yorkshire Post, Saturday 29 August 29 2026:

The "Restore freedom of movement for our young" headline letter by James Bovington (Horsforth, Leeds): Responds to an article on Britain's broken jobs market, arguing that UK youth face severe legal hurdles compared to EEA peers. He advocates for a Youth Mobility agreement for ages 19–35 and restoring freedom of movement to open up social, cultural, and career opportunities.

Letter by Jas Olak, Vice Chair of Leeds for Europe: Rebuts claims about Brexit economic forecasts, citing official OBR data showing a 4% long-term productivity loss and falling UK trade intensity compared to the G7. He stresses that Single Market membership previously made Britain a vital English-speaking gateway for international trade.

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Leeds for Europe @leedseurope.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

In today's @yorkshirepost.co.uk 📰: Pauline Allon of Ilkley explains why an SPS agreement with the EU 🇪🇺 is vital for British 🇬🇧 agriculture. #Brexit red tape caused a 37% drop in EU farm exports. 📉 Aligning standards means less border friction & fairer profits! 🚜 #Ilkley #AgSky #Farming #RejoinEU 👇

Letter headed "Good trade deal", which appeared in The Yorkshire Post on 28 August 2026. Pauline Allon of Ilkley argues that a sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) agreement with the EU is essential for UK agriculture. She notes the EU accounts for 75% of UK food imports and 62% of exports, but post-Brexit border checks have caused a 37% drop in EU farm exports, costing up to £4bn annually. She blames current UK farming problems on climate change, Brexit, and supermarkets taking most of the profits, concluding that aligning food standards with the EU will reduce friction, promote sustainable food production, and increase prosperity for farmers.

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Leeds for Europe @leedseurope.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

In today's @yorkshirepost.co.uk 📰: Chair @leedsblue67.bsky.social highlights how #Brexit broke our border controls—tearing up the Dublin Regulation & fueling the small boats crisis. Real security requires working with the #EU, not empty rhetoric! Or repeating past mistakes. #UKPolitics #RejoinEU 👇

Letter headed "An EU returns agreement that would work", which appeared in The Yorkshire Post on 27 August 2026. Peter Packham, Chair of Leeds for Europe, argues Britain needs to work with the European Union to seriously address the small boats crisis.

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Leeds for Europe @leedseurope.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

No-one knew for sure in 2016 how #Brexit might turn out, says @yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk letter. We do now. Which is why many Leave voters agree they were lied to by eg. #Farage & Boris Johnson. 5-to-1, Brexit's failed. "Eurosceptics' better off Britain claims have been debunked." #RejoinEU

Letter headed "The facts about Brexit", which appeared in the Yorkshire Evening Post on 27 August 2026. The writer says no-one knew in 2016 how Brexit might work out, but today the evidence is clear and promises Britain would be better off have been "debunked".

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Leeds for Europe @leedseurope.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

#Brexit support's faded, with more believing our future lies with the #EU - says one letter in today's @yorkshirepost.co.uk 📰. But does that mean 'closer relationship' or #RejoinEU? Another says byelection votes for fringe candidates in Clacton are no guide to support for #EuropeanUnion membership.

Two letters headed "By-election was no reflection of EU support", which appeared in The Yorkshire Post on 26 August 2026. One letter highlights growing support for rejoining the European Union, and the other says a small number of votes for fringe candidates in the recent Clacton byelection is no guide to Brexit opposition amongst the public.

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Leeds for Europe @leedseurope.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

In today's Huddersfield Daily Examiner 📰: Letter ✉️ calls out the desperate hunt for #Brexit scapegoats. 5 to 1, the public sees Brexit as a failure. Stop blaming the civil service or the European Union; hold architects Johnson & Farage accountable! 📉🇪🇺 #Huddersfield #RejoinEU Full letter below! 👇

Letter headed "Many still hunt scapegoats", which appeared in the Huddersfield Daily Examiner on 22 August 2026. The writer says those who still support Brexit keep seeking out others they can blame for its widely-recognised failure.

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Leeds for Europe @leedseurope.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

In today's @yorkshirepost.co.uk 📰: Vice Chair @jazz072.bsky.social makes clear that, even after #Brexit, the UK can't afford to ignore #EU rules & regulations. "Rather than 'take back control', Brexit has robbed us of our influence and seat at the decision-making table." #RejoinEU

Leader headed "Some home truths about the impact of Brexit", that appeared in The Yorkshire Post on 19 August 2026. Jas Olak, Chair of Leeds for Europe, argues Britain cannot afford to ignore EU rules and regulations - even after Brexit.

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Leeds for Europe @leedseurope.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

In today's @yorkshirepost.co.uk 📰: Chair @leedsblue67.bsky.social says #AndyBurnham must act with urgency to repair #EU relations. An unpredictable White House & failed #Brexit promises make it clear: minor trade deals can't replace Europe! 📉🇪🇺 #Leeds #UKPolitics #RejoinEU Full letter below! 👇

Letter headed "Burnham must act to repair Europe relations", which appeared in The Yorkshire Post on 18 August 2026. Peter Packham, Chair of Leeds for Europe, says an "unpredictable" US President Donald Trump is just one reason by new Prime Minister Andy Burnham must act quickly to repair UK relations with the European Union.

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Leeds for Europe @leedseurope.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

In today's @hulldailymail.co.uk 📰: #Brexit promise of a "bonfire of regulations" 🔥 actually meant a "mountain of bureaucracy" ⛰️ for UK firms. 61% know leaving the #EuropeanUnion is a failure. 📉 UK must restore frictionless EU trade! 🇬🇧🇪🇺 #Hull #UKEconomy #RejoinEU Full letter below! 👇

Letter headed "High time we took friction out of trade", which appeared in the Hull Daily Mail on 18 August 2026. A letter argues Brexit has not delivered on its economic promises and in many instances has proven counter-productive.

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Leeds for Europe @leedseurope.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

In today's @yorkshirepost.co.uk 📰: Vice Chair @jazz072.bsky.social ✉️ rejects Brexiter demand for a "losers' consent" vow of silence from pro-Europeans. Democracy doesn't mean submitting to failed policies & broken promises. 5 to 1, public judges #Brexit a failure! 📉🇪🇺 #Leeds #UKPolitics #RejoinEU

This letter appeared in The Yorkshire Post on 15 August 2026. Jas Olak, Vice Chair of Leeds for Europe, dismisses a previous correspondent's call for pro-Europeans to keep quiet on the topic of Brexit.

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Leeds for Europe @leedseurope.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

In today's @yorkshirepost.co.uk 📰: Chair @leedsblue67.bsky.social calls out Chancellor #JohnHealey for ignoring the #Brexit "elephant in the room". 🐘 You can't discuss regional growth while stalling on the £641m boost Yorkshire would get from rejoining the EU! 📈🇪🇺 #UKPolitics #UKEconomy #RejoinEU

Letter headed "No more ignoring the elephant in the room", which appeared in The Yorkshire Post on 14 August 2026. Peter Packham, Chair of Leeds for Europe, says new Chancellor John Healey cannot afford to ignore the harm Brexit is doing to Yorkshire's economy, and the potential benefits of undoing the damage.

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Leeds for Europe @leedseurope.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

In today's Hull Daily Mail 📰: Letter ✉️ points to "selective blindness" on #Brexit realities. UK goods exports to the #EuropeanUnion 🇪🇺 remain 14% below 2019 levels in real terms 📉, hitting manufacturing & port cities hard! 🏭 🚢 #Hull #UKEconomy #RejoinEU Full letter below! 👇

Letter headed "Clearer vision needed to see Brexit failings", which appeared in the Hull Daily Mail on 14 August 2026. Claims by Brexit advocates that leaving the European Union has not harmed the UK economy are untrue, says the writer.

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Leeds for Europe @leedseurope.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

Today's Huddersfield Daily Examiner 📰: The true cost of #Brexit ✉️. #EuropeanUnion cost us lot less than Brexiters claim. Benefits eg. #EU #SingleMarket access, foreign investment & global trade deals far outweighed those costs. Brexit means annual £100bn+ hit to #UKEconomy! #Huddersfield #RejoinEU

Letter headed "Brexit costing us all a darn sight more than the £35bn divorce bill". which appeared in the Huddersfield Daily Examiner on 8 August 2026. The writer argues Brexit cost the UK much less than advocates, and the benefits far outweighed the true costs of European Union membership.

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Leeds for Europe @leedseurope.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

In @hulldailymail.co.uk 📰: Dismantling myths re #ErasmusPlus. Not a big cost - delivered £243m net benefit to UK universities & local economies. 65% of us wanted #Erasmus+ opportunities back for Britain's young! 🎓🌍 #Starmer can be proud of that achievement while PM. #HigherEd #Education #RejoinEU

Letter headed "Net benefits of Erasmus+ programme", which appeared in the Hull Daily Mail on 7 August 2026. The writer takes issue with an earlier correspondent's complaint about Britain's readmission to the European Union's Erasmus+ work and study scheme, highlighting the benefits and stating cost were previously exaggerated.

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Leeds for Europe @leedseurope.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

It's time #AndyBurnham broke his silence on #Brexit - says this @hulldailymail.co.uk letter. "Issues not established as priorities can quickly become secondary" - says @europeanmovement.co.uk. "There's a danger Europe will again be reduced to occasional summits & modest adjustments." #RejoinEU

Letter headed "Time for PM to break silence on Euroe", which appeared in the Hull Daily Mail on 6 August 2026. Given all the announcement he has already made on topics, the writer thinks new UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham should now be addressing Brexit and Britain's relationship with the rest of Europe.

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Leeds for Europe @leedseurope.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

In today's @yorkshirepost.co.uk 📰: Chair @leedsblue67.bsky.social again has to dismantle Brexiters' "unelected EU" lie. Millions of twenty-somethings were too young to vote in 2016. Let them now? A new vote wouldn't "overthrow" #Brexit. It'd be democracy - in action! #Leeds #UKPolitics #RejoinEU

Letter headed "False claim that EU Commission 'unelected', which appeared in The Yorkshire Post on 5 August 2026. Peter Packham, Chair of Leeds for Europe, takes issue with a previous correspondent's claim about the European Union being "undemocratic".

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