Over 100 people attended my debate in Fareham to discuss the forthcoming EU referendum. The event took place at Portchester Community School at the weekend, and was open to any resident in Fareham who registered for a place. The ‘Remain’ campaign was represented by Ben Howlett, Member of Parliament for Bath, whilst Ian Brown, South East chairman of Business for Britain, spoke in favour of the ‘Leave’ campaign.
I have declared my support for the ‘Leave’ campaign.
The referendum is one of the biggest decisions this country will take in my lifetime. People want to hear the arguments debated sensibly and respectfully, and I’m very pleased we had such an impressive turnout of people at the debate. I’m very grateful to Ian Brown for putting the case for ‘Leave’, which I thought he did convincingly. I was also glad to welcome Ben Howlett to Fareham to put the case for Remain – he’s a good friend, even though I disagree with him on this issue, and he made his points forcefully. Our straw poll of the audience afterwards showed around 30% in favour of remaining, and around 50% for leaving, with 20% undecided. As someone who backs Leave, I found that encouraging!
Ben Howlett MP praised the quality of the discussion, saying:
‘It was a pleasure to attend a moderate, less hyperbolic debate than we have been used to in recent weeks. I thank Suella for organising and was pleased to see that a sizeable number of people changed their minds towards remaining inside the EU during the course of the afternoon. Many were won over by the realities of leaving the EU and a positive case for Britain remaining stronger, better off and more secure inside the EU than outside. I hope many more will be switching over to Remain in the coming days.’
Ian Brown, speaking for Leaving the EU said:
"I was very pleased to take part in such a well run debate organised by Suella and her team. My opponent for Remain, Ben Howlett MP put up a brave fight defending the indefensible, but obviously lost! As Chair, Suella kept order with admirable composure ensuring a fair, open and informative debate on this hugely important issue. Thanks Suella; onwards to Victory!"
I set out my position on the EU referendum earlier this year, following the conclusion of the Prime Minister’s renegotiation in February. My statement can be viewed at: http://www.suellafernandes.co.uk/news/why-i-will-be-voting-leave-eu