Welcome to the Labour Leave website and our Campaign Blog. Labour Leave is a new organisation that has been established to campaign for real reforms in the UK’s renegotiation and subsequent referendum on our membership of the European Union.

I have been campaigning for better terms of membership in our relationship with the Common Market and now the European Union for 40 years, so I am delighted to be supporting this campaign and playing an active role as its Secretary.

The Labour Party needs to examine seriously its policy towards the European Union. During the general election Labour lost voters to UKIP because it did not have a comprehensive policy that resonated with the electorate. Labour’s arguments against a referendum did not stack up against the Tories who were offering the British people a choice for the future. Now is the time to change our offer.

Many Labour voters and Labour supporters want to see a change in our relationship with the European Union. The British people want to see better terms for the United Kingdom, and they voted overwhelmingly at the general election for parties offering to try to get changes made.

British business wants to see a more competitive Europe, focussed on jobs, growth and trade. From my experience in the business world, I know all too well the burdens that unnecessary EU regulations place on businesses in the UK and across the EU. We need to unleash the talent of our entrepreneurs and remove barriers that the Commission has placed on business, hindering growth and job creation.

I am pleased that Labour Leave already has the support of Labour Members of Parliament, Councillors and Peers, as well as ordinary Party members. I hope more Labour supporters and activists will sign up and support Labour Leave as we move towards the referendum campaign.

Labour Leave exists to provide a space for the Labour movement to debate our membership of the European Union and to push for reforms that we believe are needed in a reformed Europe. We must challenge the Tory approach to reform of the EU and counter it with our own vision. We must also be prepared to consider leaving the European Union if we cannot achieve the change we need and the public wants.

So please get involved and contribute to the debate. If you have ideas or areas you think we should be looking at then please let us know. Sign up to our campaign to receive our regular bulletins and for campaign news. I, and the Labour Leave team look forward to hearing from you and campaigning in the coming months.

John Mills

Labour Leave Secretary