Dear John,

A huge thank you to all of you who voted in our supporter survey to help shape the organisation’s priorities. Thanks to you, our programme of work in 2025 has the backing of the hundreds of thousands of people who subscribe, or donate, to Best for Britain.

But, I’ll be really honest, I wasn’t sure how this would go.

And if you can spare me a few minutes of your time to read this message, I’ll explain why.

Before long it will be a decade since the EU referendum, and in that time it feels as if almost everything about our lives, and our politics, has changed beyond all recognition. And often for the worse.

I fondly remember the campaigning we did back then, as part of our original mission set when Best for Britain was founded in 2017, to secure another vote by any democratic means. We all came together to make it clear that the outcome didn’t represent all of us, and I know that you will treasure some of those moments - despite the horror of the referendum itself. We were on the right side of history. But after the 2019 general election, and the longer that the UK spent outside the European Union, it was clear that the mechanisms where it could be reversed easily, were rapidly evaporating. Questions soon started to be asked; how would the UK join the EU in future? If we applied, would our application be at the top of the pile, or the bottom? What should be done in the meantime to fix the mess? And will we ever get politicians who will have these conversations with Brussels?

Today, in 2024 with a new government, we have answers to some of those questions. And along with it, quite a lot of work to be done.

The clock is now counting down to the renegotiation of the UK’s deal with Europe in 2026.

This is a huge, in fact monumental, moment to get back some of what we’ve lost.

It’s a chance to end the demanding border checks (losing us our place in cheese competitions), the restrictions on young people coming and going between European countries and the UK, the dearth of British artists performing at festivals across the continent, and the daily damage being done to businesses and cultural institutions by the dodgy terms that Boris Johnson agreed for us.

But to get any of these changes agreed, it’s going to be quite…well…boring.

Which is why I was worried about what Best for Britain’s supporters might say when we ask which bits of this work they can get out of bed for.

When we asked whether you would back a youth mobility visa scheme for young Brits to live, study and work in the EU, or vice versa, I wondered what you would say. Of course it’s only going to be for those under 35, and it isn’t anywhere near what we had under freedom of movement. I’ve even had long emails from people contacting me to say that it’s ‘ageist’. And although I remind them that I won’t be young enough to benefit from it myself either, it made me wonder whether this was a view shared by everyone who supports us.

Well, it turns out I shouldn't have worried at all. And I’m so sorry for doubting you.

94% of Best for Britain supporters want us to campaign for a Youth Mobility Visa Scheme with the EU. (And most people who filled in the survey were over the age of thirty five!)

But, I still have something to say to the 6%.

I know how frustrating it is to have the right to live and work across Europe taken away. But, every year that our youngest citizens don’t have that right, creates another generation of people who will never feel that pull back to the heart of Europe. I say to those who won’t accept anything less than full freedom of movement, that it will never happen unless the next generation wants it. If we don’t begin mending this tear in the bond between young Brits and their continental counterparts now, it might never be fixed. 

I implore you to not let perfect be the enemy of good and back Best for Britain’s work to get this agreed. And it won’t be the only aspect of the withdrawal agreement that we’re championing. In fact there’s 114 fixes to our deal that we published alongside the UK Trade and Business Commission.

So what else did our survey results say?

I’m pleased to say that you, our supporters, told us that you care most about pushing the government to a closer relationship with Europe, and secondly, opposing Nigel Farage and the hard right.

And that’s exactly what we’re going to do.

Taking on Reform UK

Our survey asked how many of you are prepared to roll up your sleeves locally to take on Reform UK where you live, and 30% of Best for Britain supporters are up for the challenge! And 60% of you said that you care deeply about this issue, but you can’t get involved yourselves. And of course some of you are lucky to live in parts of the country where Reform UK are unlikely to do well. 

So please make sure you are opted into campaign alerts for our work to tackle the hard right. And if you can’t help directly for now, please do think about becoming a regular supporter to help fund this work.

A closer relationship with Europe

Right now our policy and research department is reconvening the UK Trade & Business Commission to, once again, bring together experts from business, parliament, the diplomatic and civil service, and universities as we count down to the review of the Trade & Cooperation Agreement in 2026. We’ll be pursuing a  youth mobility visa scheme, an independent board of trade, relaxed visa rules for artists and performers, and a new agreement on beneficial alignment - which helps get rid of border checks that are holding up goods.

This is the first step to getting back what we lost in 2016. 

I know that this is harder to get excited about, but it’s all vital for our journey back to the heart of Europe.

That’s why we’ve launched ‘The Boring Appeal’.

‘The Boring Appeal’ - help us raise £50,000 for all the boring work that’s needed to get back to the heart of Europe.

To undertake this work Best for Britain needs to raise £50,000 by January 2025, giving us plenty of time to get the new government to adopt these positions, ahead of the new negotiations in 2026.

How can you help ‘the Boring Appeal’?

1. Buy a ‘Boring’ Christmas Card!

We’ve let our policy and research department loose on our Christmas shop, and you can help raise the funds for our UK-EU relationship work, by buying one (or a pack of ten!):

Please note: You must order by 9th December to get your cards in time for Christmas!

2. Make a donation to ‘The Boring Appeal’ 

Every penny raised goes towards our work to stop new generations from feeling disconnected from Europe, fixing the problems businesses face since Brexit, and saving our arts institutions from the destruction new visa rules have wrought on our creative industries.

3. Consider becoming a regular supporter to Best for Britain 

We are so grateful for every donation you make to Best for Britain, but regular supporters are the lifeblood of our campaigning. One-off donations are vital, but a regular donation allows us to plan bigger, and bolder. And if there’s one thing that’s needed on Brexit at the moment, it’s a bit of boldness.

Best for Britain never makes promises to supporters that it cannot keep. We don’t take money for wooly projects that simply say “rejoin” with no plan of how it happens - we take real action, step-by-step, to get us back what we lost, and limit as much damage as possible. 

And thanks to everyone filling in our survey, we can be sure that our supporters understand that the real way we rejoin the UK to the EU is by pragmatic, and carefully planned campaigning - even when sometimes it can be a bit ‘boring’.

On behalf of me, Naomi, Tom, Cary, Julia, Dee and Niall - and everyone else in the Best for Britain team, thank you for everything that you continue to do. 

With you behind us, a closer relationship with Europe isn’t just possible, it’s inevitable! 

Onward!

Best wishes,

Cal Roscow
Executive Director of Marketing
Best for Britain