Hi John,

As Nancy Pelosi once said "There's no point in saying good morning, because it certainly is not one."

We have woken up to the depressing news that Farage's Reform UK have won the Runcorn and Helsby by-election. And although Labour have won three mayoral contests, Farage's party looks set to take council seats across the country. Even Andrea Jenkyns - shadow puppeteer extraordinaire - had her political career resuscitated once again to serve as the new Mayor of Greater Lincolnshire.

So why did people vote Reform UK?

A Labour campaigner, speaking to the BBC's Henry Zeffman, put it succinctly "On every door it was the same story - winter fuel and PIP".

This is the point that must be made loud and clear: people did not vote Reform UK directly because of Brexit.

And it's confirmed by our polling. A closer relationship with Europe, and the policies that constitute it, such as a youth mobility visa scheme, are popular in every constituency in Great Britain.

Thanks to your support we'll be making this point loud and clear in the final few weeks in the run up to the Summit on 19th May.

But isn't it about Brexit a bit?

Yes, but not in the way that certain pundits might want it to be. If a deal to remove barriers to trade with Europe had been done sooner, ending years of poor growth that slashed government finances, perhaps decisions, like cutting welfare and benefits, wouldn’t have even been discussed.

This election result should serve as a reminder for why a deal with the EU is urgently needed to drive growth that people will actually feel in their pockets.

It's not unreasonable to be suspicious that the current government made cuts that weren't necessary. But until we fix our economy, by fixing our relationship with Europe, this doom loop of economic stagnation will dog all future governments, and continue to depress living standards.

Prosperity, felt in every corner of the four nations of the UK, is the best defence against the radical right. A comprehensive deal with Europe - which our modelling shows delivers growth in every region - is the best lever the Government can pull to get it.

We just need your help to remind them that it's what people want. If you haven't sent an email to your MP, sharing our research on this, there's still time.

Thank you so much to everyone who has written to their MP, their local paper, or - if you own a business - even a Minister.

Make no mistake, these are worrying times, and the rise of Reform is a disaster for Britain.

But we are committed to ensuring that this is the peak of their electoral success, and I know you are too.

Yours,

Cal

Cal Roscow

Director of Campaigns, Best for Britain

Back in 2022 Best for Britain created the UK Trade and Business Commission, which published 114 policy demands in June 2024, after years of evidence-gathering, and meeting with businesses and parliamentarians across Europe and across the UK.

A huge thank you to all of our supporters who funded this work to make it possible.

We're so grateful that other organisations have adopted some of these as their own. The more voices that make the case for these policies, the greater the pressure on the Government will be.

Here's five of the 114 recommendations that could be achieved in 2025, with your help:

1️⃣ A deal on goods and services 🚚 The UK Trade and Business Commission's proposals for MRCs (mutual recognition of conformity assessments), developed with UKAS, will allow businesses to buy and sell goods and services easily again.

2️⃣ An agreement on animal and plant health (SPS) 🌱🍎 To reduce the onerous checks on food and other essential goods, which could lower prices

3️⃣ Changes to visa and carnet rules for touring performers 🎸 🎭Ending the nightmare of paperwork and fees that have stopped UK productions travelling to Europe, and vice versa

4️⃣ A Youth Mobility Scheme 👧 Now being considered by the Government as the "Youth Opportunity Scheme" thanks to pressure from you using our 'Hey MP' tool and polling by Best for Britain

5️⃣ Open the door to more schemes 🇪🇺 Joining Erasmus+, PEM (although we want to go beyond this!), ETS, CBAM, pan-European Clinical Trials, and the EU 'List of Travellers' Scheme.

📈 And Best for Britain was the first organisation to demonstrate just how much growth these policies would achieve while offsetting the effect of Trump's tariffs, one of the most compelling arguments to take to a Government that has promised to be the fastest growing economy in the G7. 

Want to know why this work is so important?

🎧 Listen to Naomi, our CEO, and James O'Brien talk about what a deal could do for you and your family, for the country, and for Europe.

Want to see our polling and research before anyone else? Regular supporters are alway first to get updates. And if you donate £10 we'll plant a 🌱 tree in your name.