Why this country is owed a second EU referendum

Brexit means Brexit.

Or so we are led to believe. I have heard this so many times in the past year that I would be forgiven for believing it was true. But was the Brexit we voted for the same as the Brexit we are now facing?

Categorically not!

I was fortunate enough to get the chance to vent my frustrations on a Plymouth edition of BBC One's Question Time recently. The electorate on the other hand, vented at the polling stations. Theresa May's approach was overwhelmingly rejected, leaving her with no mandate whatsoever for her hard Brexit.

Yet Theresa May maintains that 'Brexit means Brexit'. However, the Brexit we voted for was based on lies, circulated to the masses by pro-leave tabloids. We were told the UK economy would not be affected. We were told there would be £350 million a week for the NHS. The remain campaign was branded 'project fear'.

One year on, 'project fear' is 'project reality'. The value of the pound has plummeted. We are all poorer as a result. The cost of living is rising as the price of imported goods increases. The post-Brexit UK economy is not looking so robust. Compared with all other EU nations, official growth statistics have revealed Britain to be the worst performer in the first quarter of 2017. So much for trusting the Conservatives with the economy, so happy were they to gamble the nation's fortunes in the hope of party political gain.

And as for £350 million per week to the NHS? David Dimbleby barely had the chance to complete the sentence 'We are leaving the EU' before Farage, Boris and Gove confirmed that there would be no extra money for healthcare. Brexit is damaging the NHS. There is a staffing crisis, yet the number of EU nurses applying to work in the UK was down 96% in April compared with pre-Brexit levels.

Brexit clearly does NOT mean Brexit.

The British people did not vote for this version of Brexit. They did not vote for a Brexit which made the UK poorer. They did not vote for a Brexit which was damaging to the NHS. They voted for a Brexit based on lies and misinformation.

The lies have been exposed. The people of this country deserve the right to vote again, but this time armed with the facts.

https://www.facebook.com/dan.kim2/videos/10101543797844154/

Video attribution: BBC 22nd June 2017

Daniel Kim is a doctor working in the South West who joined the Liberal Democrats following the EU referendum. He is passionate about remaining in the EU, representing the views of young people and the NHS.

The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the local or national Liberal Democrat party.