4 July 2024 General Election

Cheltenham for Europe Position

We wish to see the UK rejoin the European Union because we share with our European neighbours deeply held values and a common history. The EU and its Member States are our natural trading, security, diplomatic and cultural partners. Together, we can be a powerful influence on the world stage. The damaging impacts of Britain’s decision to leave the EU have become ever more evident in the past few years. The damage done by Brexit must be reversed.

While rejoining the EU is probably not possible in the short term, reversing the current direction of travel is both essential and achievable. Therefore, we wish to see our new government prioritise the negotiation of a set of agreements with the EU (e.g. re-joining Erasmus+, providing more short-term visas for artists, alignment of veterinary standards and a security partnership) in the first instance. We call on them to maintain alignment with EU standards generally. We want the next government to work towards rejoining the Customs Union and Single Market, and ultimately the EU.

Our stance towards Cheltenham constituency candidates in the next General Election

We believe that we cannot begin to address the problems facing the country until we recognise the damage that has been done by Brexit. That requires that the Conservatives be defeated at the next election. Voters in the Cheltenham constituency have a range of candidates who would work for a better relationship with the EU, but only the LibDem candidate is both committed to working to that end and has a realistic chance of defeating the sitting MP.

We are therefore recommending a vote on 4 July in the General Election for Max Wilkinson, the Liberal Democrat candidate.

This position has been discussed and agreed at a C4E special general meeting on 6 June 2024