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Having now read in detail the @LeadNotLeaveUK manifesto I can only say that I am staggered that Helena Kennedy QC and @thatginamiller would put their names to such a poorly researched and inaccurate campaign.
It has all the hallmarks of what David Cameron was trying to do to pacify UKIP and the UKIP wing of the Tory party, indeed @LeadNotLeaveUK has now added David Cameron’s 2015 letter to Donald Tusk to their downloads.
Sovereignty - This is a simple cut and paste from @David_Cameron’s letter and perpetuates the standard anti-EU misrepresentation of what the “ever closer union” is all about. It also completely ignores the changed direction that the EU is now pursuing.
A changed direction confirm by @JunckerEU in 2017 and one that clearly articulates the Dutch principle of “European where necessary, national where possible”
Immigration – The UK already has the ability to, as all EU states do, require job-seekers to leave if they can't find work or aren’t otherwise able to support themselves. A mechanism UK governments (regardless of party) have failed to use.
Eurozone – the UK already has an explicit opt-out from joining the Eurozone. It also has a guarantee, re-iterated when the Eurozone bailed Greece out, that it will not be required to bail-out Eurozone countries.
Competitiveness – The EU has already engaged in a program of simplifying and pealing back unnecessary regulation. This is a dog-whistle call to the anti-EU and free-market backers who wish to see safety, health, welfare and workers’ rights wound back.
Procurement – Another dog-whistle call. There is nothing that prevents member states from buying from their domestic market provided there is fair/open competition. Even then there is considerable discretion on supporting/encouraging domestic suppliers.
