On Thursday 8th February, the Telegraph ran a front page article attacking George Soros’ donation to Best for Britain. On Friday 9th, the Daily Mail doubled down. The story made headlines across the weekend and across all major newspapers.
We decided enough was enough. Neither the Telegraph nor the Daily Mail had the right to attack our right to speak out against the perils of Brexit. While they expected us to fold under pressure, we did the opposite, and stood firm in our belief that Brexit is damaging not just our present but our future too.
We responded by launching our #FightBrexitFund crowdfunder so that people around the country could show their support and help us fight back. So far, over four thousand of our supporters have donated what they can, to show how important fighting Brexit is to them. Almost £140,000 has been raised so far (14th Feb); funds that will be critical in the fight for our right to speak up, and to reveal the truth about Brexit.
Over the weekend, George Soros also agreed to match all subsequent donations up to £100 to a £100k total contribution value, producing a huge boost. Writing that he is a “proud supporter of Best for Britain” in the Mail on Sunday, he is a staunch advocate for remaining within the EU, claiming that Britain “will lose much of its global influence” outside of it.
The matched funds are, in the words of our CEO Eloise Todd, a rebuff to those who claim that his funding of our campaign is undemocratic. This is not the case; in fact, our view is perhaps the most democratic. Everyone, no matter what their view, has a right to be heard, free from intimidation by people or press that may disagree with them. We are steadfast in our belief that no Brexit - soft, hard, whatever kind - would ever be better than stopping it altogether.
The UK’s future with the EU is definitely not a done deal, and people deserve to know the truth about the options on the table, one of which is remaining within the EU, in light of the vote to come.
The money donated by both George Soros and the thousands of grassroots donors who have generously contributed is making a huge difference in ensuring that our campaign reaches as many people as possible around the country. It will be used to expand our barnstorm programme, which teaches people across the UK on how to be more democratically engaged within their local communities, and the campaign within Parliament to ensure that there is a ‘meaningful vote’ that keeps all options on the table gives Parliamentarians a say on the final deal. That vote will come in Autumn 2018; there really isn’t much time for our voices to be heard.
Best for Britain isn’t going anywhere and we will continue our campaign to ensure that Parliament acts in a way that really is “best for britain”. We would like thank everyone who has so generously donated and has supported us so far; With your help, we will expand and further our campaign to stop Brexit and fight for a better future for Britain.