A #FinalSay on Brexit: here's how to make your voice heard

  • Pip Jamieson
  • Chris Pritchard
  • Michal Palys-Dudek
  • Gosia Pałys-Dudek
  • Matteo Belfiore
  • Annie Ly
  • Nancy Cofie
  • Sophie Howe
  • John Down
  • Brendan McKnight

The government’s current Brexit proposal is the #1 risk to the UK’s creative industries. Given the potential impact, we believe the people of the UK should have the #FinalSay on Brexit.


How? It may sound strange in the 21st century, but the most effective way for you influence a second referendum outcome is by… writing a letter!
Why a letter? Physical letters, unlike emails or online petitions, must be opened and read by your MP’s office. The vast majority of letters received by MPs so far have been from voters who oppose a Second Referendum, so your letter is crucial to ensuring your voice is heard.
Don’t worry, we’ve done the work for you. We’ve written a template letter detailing how the Government's currently proposed Brexit deal will impact the creative industries. This will help influence your MP when considering whether to vote for a Second Referendum. Do make sure to customise this letter template so that it is personal to you.

3 step guide to directly pressuring government to hold a second referendum;


Please read the template letter below and, if you agree with our stance on Brexit’s impact on the creative industries, you can personalise, print it and send the letter to your MP. Here’s how:
1. Personalise our template: cut & paste our template, then edit it to suit your details and voice.
2. Find your MP: Use this link to input your postcode and find out your MP's address.
3. Print & send: Print, sign and send the letter, easy!
Recent polls have shown that a majority of voters are in favour of a new vote. This is your moment to let MPs know that the ground has shifted and there is a vocal campaign for a Second Referendum.


Letter template to cut & paste:

[Your home address]
Dear [insert MP’s name],
I’m writing to you as my constituency MP, as I am deeply concerned with the direction of the current Brexit negotiations, which I believe will cause great harm to the UK’s creative industries.
I am [insert role] at [insert company name], a [insert what your company does (i.e. design agency)]. I believe that I am well-placed to understand the profound impacts that the UK Government’s current negotiating position (‘the Brexit Agreement’) will cause to the UK’s creative ecosystem.
The UK’s creative economy is one of Britain’s proudest achievements. It accounts for almost 10% of the UK’s workforce, GDP and exports - this is more than the UK’s car, life sciences, oil & gas and aerospace industries combined. It is a hugely powerful engine for British growth, having grown at over double the UK’s GDP rate since 2011.
The UK government’s proposed Brexit Agreement is the #1 risk to the UK’s creative economy. If it goes ahead there is a high probability it will:
i) Restrict UK companies’ ability to operate
More than 70% of UK creative firms employ EU nationals to fill key skills gaps, such as in Digital and STEM, but many will be shut out by the Tier 2 visa income floor. Shutting off this skills source will throttle our industry’s ability to operate. 90% of companies in the creative industries number under 10 employees, making new tariff and visa bureaucracy proportionately a huge cost challenge.
There is overwhelming evidence that more diverse companies outperform their less diverse counterparts, so making it harder to access EU talent will harm the British creative industries in the long run.
ii) Close off markets where Britain is a world leader
The EU is our largest importer, buying 42% of the UK’s digital exports. But the Brexit Agreement will devastate the UK’s competitiveness in this crucial market via an average estimated 9% increase in services export tariffs.
iii) Radically shrink the creative economy
Between 2014 and 2016, the EU supported 283 UK cultural and creative organisations, including 115 UK films, via €57 million of grants. Losing this funding will greatly damage our creative industries from our performing arts to our advertising sector.
A combination of lower productivity, higher tariffs, less funding and lower exports will mean up to 27,000 creative jobs will be lost. By Government’s own estimate, the Brexit Agreement would wipe up to 5% off UK GDP over 15 years, devastating both our industry and our nation.
Together, the above three areas of harm pose an existential threat to Britain’s global creative leadership.
No voter on 26th June 2016 could have predicted a Brexit Agreement in its current form, with such deeply negative effects. Its profound impact on the UK’s workforce, industry and global competitiveness is only now becoming painfully clear. Britons have woken up to these risks, with a majority polled now wanting the UK to stay in the EU. So it is only fair, democratic and frankly sensible that voters have the ‘final say’ at such a pivotal moment for our future.
You are uniquely positioned to help the majority have their voices heard before it is too late. Based on the above evidence, I respectfully ask you to:
  • Vote against the Brexit Agreement when it comes before Parliament over the coming months; and then
  • Vote for a referendum where British voters can decide whether to accept the Brexit Agreement terms, with an option to remain in the EU.
Please vote with your conscience, and put the national interest ahead of politics.
I would be pleased to answer any questions you may have – feel free to contact me.
Yours sincerely,
[Insert name & signature]
Sources: Department for Culture, Media & Sport, 2016; UK Government estimates, 2017; Office For National Statistics, 2018; London Mayor’s Office, 2018; YouGov, 2018.
Image Credit: 'Eu Da Best' by Holly Atherton - instagram @hollyaths