The government is telling big business more about its Brexit strategy than you.
Just last week, secret talks with government ministers meant car giant Nissan announced it would stay in the UK. The government didn’t want any of us to know what was said, but now it’s been forced to admit it promised Nissan it’d negotiate for a Brexit deal that gives tariff-free access to the European market for the automotive industry.
The government is letting big corporations determine our Brexit deal -- the future of the country we all live in -- while refusing to tell ordinary British people what’s going on.
This is on the brink of being a big story. But to get Theresa May and David Davis, the Brexit minister, to be open about Brexit from now on, we need to push it up a gear. Sign the petition to make sure the government bows to our collective pressure.
Theresa May and David Davis: be open and transparent about Brexit strategy. We have a right to know!
The government insists that it’s for the best that we’re all kept in the dark about its Brexit plans. It’s denying all of us an open debate about the negotiations, and MPs, our representatives, aren’t even allowed to vote on them. But now it turns out big business gets special treatment.
Nissan could just be the first. Soon there’ll be a long line of corporate bosses queuing outside Number 10, each holding the government to ransom and demanding all sorts of favours from Brexit. Doing deal after deal could cost taxpayers hugely.
Our governments have a history of doing one sided deals for big businesses. It’s been exposed before giving sweetheart tax deals worth millions to the likes of Google, Goldman Sachs, and Vodafone. With a free hand to dismantle employment rights and corporate regulations after Brexit, politicians could give all sorts away to corporations threatening to leave.
Why is big business getting things that the rest of us aren’t? It’s not right if some big corporations or industries are protected from the worst effects of Brexit, but not ordinary people. While big multinationals have the deep pockets to lobby hard, our small, independent business could be left out to dry.
The government is playing favourites and pursuing a selective, backroom Brexit. Together we have to stand against that.
Government and corporate transparency is a key value in the SumOfUs community, and together we pressure politicians to resist vested interests. When the Panama Papers scandal shook the world, 30,000 of us sprung into action to demand our leaders clamped down on tax havens and dodgy deals. We can do that again now.
Brexit effects all of us. The government shouldn’t tell corporations what they won’t tell us, and promise them Brexit favours.
More information
Nissan in UK: 'No cheque book' involved, says minister
BBC . 28 October 2016.
BBC . 28 October 2016.
Theresa May is under pressure to break a Brexit pledge that is already damaging Britain
Business Insider. 1 November 2016.
Business Insider. 1 November 2016.
Nissan's post-Brexit deal could lead to 'colossal' bills for taxpayer
The Guardian. 31 October 2016.
The Guardian. 31 October 2016.