Thousands sign petition demanding public inquiry into the impact of Brexit

A petition seeking a public inquiry into the impact of Brexit has surpassed 60,000 signatures.

The petition, launched by Peter Packham who runs a Remainer Facebook page, has been signed by 60,255 people at the time of writing.

It calls on the government to "assess the impact that Brexit has had" in a way that is "free from ideology and the opinions of vested interests".

It says: "The benefits that were promised if the UK exited the European Union have not been delivered, so we call upon the Government to hold a Public Inquiry to assess the impact that Brexit has had on this country and its citizens.

"It is time that the people of this country were told the truth about Brexit, good or bad. We deserve to know how Brexit is impacting on trade, the economy, opportunities for young people and how it has affected the rights of individuals. This can only be done by an independent Public Inquiry, free from ideology and the opinions of vested interests."

Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter

It comes as Brexit's house of cards topples. A former minister involved in a key Brexit deal has since admitted it isn't that great, an economics expert blamed the policy for the UK implementing austerity measures, new polls show people regret voting for Brexit and even GB News viewers aren't enamoured with it.

The government responds to all petitions that get more than 10,000 signatures. If it reaches 100,000 signatures, the petition will be considered for debate in Parliament.

Richard Wilson, Chair of Leeds for Europe, said: “Many politicians might not like it, but this issue cannot be buried, and it will not go away.

We need a warts and all enquiry into what’s been done in our name, and the impact – good or bad – that Brexit is having on our country.”

It is a simple and fundamental principle that the government derives its democratic legitimacy from the people. The future of the country must not be decided by plotting and U-turns at Westminster; it must be decided by the people in a general election. And for this reason The Independent is calling for an election to be held. Have your say and sign our election petition by clicking here.

Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.