Grassroots Briefing: Building 

the Pro-European Alliance 

 

It starts with you 

This briefing for pro-European campaigners is intended to supplement Best for Britain’s 
Grassroots guide to building the Pro-European Alliance​. It should help local campaigners to 
effectively take part in and drive the formation of Alliances from the ground up.  

Does Yorkshire & The Humber need Alliances? 

No Deal Brexit must be stopped. Government analysis shows Yorkshire and the Humber’s 
economy will suffer from any kind of Brexit. No-deal Brexit would shrink the local economy by 7%.1 

NHS staff shortages:  

Yorkshire hospitals already suffer a shortage of nurses, with Brexit uncertainty to blame. Officials 
at Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust have said they are struggling to recruit nurses to 
work at Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital, as EU27 workers are increasingly finding it less 
attractive to work in the UK, due to fears around their residence status.2  

Financial centres affected:  

Brexit means financial centres in Leeds and Halifax would lose their ability to passport insurance 
and banking services across Europe. In a no-deal Brexit, Leeds stands to lose £6.4 billion, while 
Sheffield could lose up to £2.83bn.3  

University funding lost:  

12 universities in the region rely on EU research grants and funding. £62.94 million of Yorkshire and 
the Humber’s direct university output requires EU research funding.4 

Green energy sector crippled:  

Brexit will harm Yorkshire’s growing green energy sector. EU funding has enabled East Yorkshire to 
grow as a hub of green energy. The Siemens Gamesa, Green Port Hull and the Hornsea Project One 
wind farm are at the forefront of the North’s clean energy industry.5 The region has some of the 
highest domestic CO2 emissions per head in the UK. Replicating or remaining within EU regulatory 
schemes is required to avoid negative effects if the UK fails to meet CO2 reduction targets.6  

   
1
​EU Exit Analysis​ pg 23 
2
​Hull Daily Mail 
3
​Yorkshire Post 
4
​Report for Universities​ pg 44 
5
​The Impact of Brexit on Energy in the North​ pg 5 
6
​Hull Daily Mail 

Printed and promoted by Best for Britain, the campaign name of UK-EU OPEN POLICY LIMITED registered at 
International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London, EC1A 2BN. Best for Britain is registered with The Electoral 
Commission. 

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 Best for Britain - Grassroots groups Pro-EU Alliance briefing note 

How do we know an Alliance will work? 

 

Left:​ This chart shows what would happen 

in a general election in Yorkshire & The 
Humber if the Conservatives and Brexit 
Party have an electoral pact but the 
Pro-EU parties are not working together.  

In this scenario, the Brexit Party would be 

able to win a majority of seats in Yorkshire 
and Humberside. Combined, the Tories 
and Brexit Party could take 42 of the 54 
seats in the region.  

Right:​ This second chart shows what 

happens if the Pro-EU parties - including 
the Labour party - have a full Alliance 
working together against a Tory/Brexit 
Party Pact.  

In this scenario, a Pro-EU Alliance would 

take a substantial number of seats in 
Yorkshire & The Humber from the 
Conservative/Brexit Party Pact. It is clear 
from this chart that a Pro-EU Alliance 
could win a majority in the region against 
the threat of a pro-No Deal Pact. 

Are voters in Yorkshire and The Humber ready for a Pro-EU Alliance? 

Best for Britain’s ‘Brexit Shift’ report from December 2018 7 found voters in the North East, 
Yorkshire & Humberside and the North West have moved the most on Brexit since the referendum. 
10.2% more voters in the North East would vote remain in a people’s vote, whilst 9.3% of voters in 
both Yorkshire & Humberside and the North West would also back staying in the EU. 

In a notable change at that time, we found that Yorkshire & Humberside would now vote remain 
(by 52.0% and 51.6% respectively) for the first time. 

7
Brexit Shift 2.0, published by Best for Britain and Hope not hate, December 2018, 
https://www.bestforbritain.org/brexit-shift-2 

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 Best for Britain - Grassroots groups Pro-EU Alliance briefing note 

Who needs an Alliance? 

● Over 1.9 million switchers: ​Since the referendum, UK public opinion has shifted towards 
remaining in the EU, with over 10% of 2016 Leave voters now backing Remain as of 
November 2018. 
● Almost a fifth of UK voters are ‘persuadable’:​ ​Our data shows 17% of UK voters can 
change their minds on Brexit, with 7% being soft Leavers that could potentially move 
towards Remain.  

So who are the switchers?  

In Yorkshire & The Humber, the biggest group of switchers from Leave to Remain are young voters 
(especially young women) that either supported Labour in 2015 or have switched from supporting 
the Conservatives in 2015 to Labour or other parties in 2017.  

Young (18-34) women who supported the Conservatives in 2015 are the demographic most likely 
to have switched, with over 20% of those who voted Leave now in favour of staying in.  

● For those young female Leavers that voted Conservative in 2015 but did not support the 
Tories in 2017, the number is 25%.  
● The trend is largely the same among young people that voted for Labour in 2015: 20% of 
Leave supporters in this demographic have switched to Remain.  

Young people, women, and disillusioned Conservative voters will continue to shift towards 
Remain as the consequences of a no deal Brexit become ever more apparent. 

What can you do? 

You have a voice. You represent a body of opinion in your area and on that basis alone you 
have a platform. But more than that, you represent an organised group with a supporter 
base and volunteers separate from the local political parties. That’s no small thing. 

Use your platform and the assets you have been building up over the past three years -  

● Use your status as a community leader to meet local party representatives in person 
● Use your platform to convene negotiations as a party-political ‘neutral’ participant  
● Use your group’s organisation as proof you can provide support and volunteers for the 
Alliance candidate 
● Use your supporters and volunteers to lobby local politicians 
● Use your social media to highlight the need for an Alliance and the support for it 
● Use local spokespeople to write to local papers and promote the Alliance 

Every area has different politics, history and local character. There is no one-size-fits-all answer. 
That’s why you, as a local campaigner, are best placed to make this happen. ​Good luck! 

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