Richard Corbett, Member of the European Parliament for Yorkshire & Humber, has been elected Vice-Chair of the UK-wide European Movement.
The vote took place at the organisation’s annual general meeting in London on 22 November and takes place ahead of a planned modernisation and relaunch of the organisation nationally.
It means Richard, together with newly-elected chair Laura Sandys MP, will spearhead the UK’s only pro-European membership organisation.
Richard said:
It is the task of the European Movement to make the case, no holds barred, for keeping and strengthening the European Union, irrespective of party politics.
Britain and its neighbours have worked for decades to build a framework where we work together for mutual benefit, still sometimes having arguments and rows, but inside a structure where these can be settled amicably. Together we have built the world’s largest market, crucial for so many jobs in Britain. Together, we work on issues where unity is strength. Together, we solve problems where our interdependence means we can’t easily do it alone. Walking out would mean losing out.
Notes for editors
- Richard Corbett is MEP for Yorkshire & Humber, and Deputy Leader of the UK Labour MEPs. He was first elected in 1996 and most recently in 2014. His constituency office is in Leeds.
- The European Movement was founded in 1948 by Winston Churchill, Konrad Adenauer, Bertrand Russell and other European statesmen. The British section played a key role arguing for British membership and in helping to win the 1975 referendum. It is the only nationwide pro-European organisation based on individual membership. Its members include people who are not involved in any political party, plus a number of Labour, Liberal Democrat and Conservative members. It has branches across the country.
