Even for the pro-EU and anti-Brexit BBC you really couldn’t make this up

BBC Deputy Political Editor comperes arch-Rejoiners Heseltine & Gauke at Tory Conference Rejoin event today

Montage © Facts4EU.Org

BBC’s Deputy Political Editor comperes entirely pro-Rejoin event today

At lunchtime today, the Deputy Political Editor of the supposedly independent BBC, Vicki Young, will be compering an event for the ‘European Movement UK’ (which should of course be called the ‘European Union Movement UK’), at the Tory Party Conference.

In what must surely be a classic in the annals of “you couldn’t make this up” news stories, BBC Deputy Political Editor Vicki Young will be the anchor for an event involving two of the most extreme Rejoiners in the country, on the day Liz Truss makes her opening speech at the Conservative Party Conference.

Why is this so secret?

Neither the BBC nor Vicki Young herself are saying a word about this. Interestingly, the European Movement’s own website is equally silent on the matter. The only way of finding out more seems to be by registering on a third-party website.

We do, however, have some information from tweets by the ‘European Movement’ about the event.

“Join European Movement & @BBCVickiYoung in conversation with former Deputy Prime Minister Michael Heseltine and former Lord Chancellor @DavidGauke at the Conservative conference.”
- Tweet by European Movement UK, 01 Oct 2022

Credit: European Movement UK on Twitter

“The European Movement UK”

The European Movement has actually contested elections. It seems bizarre they are running an event at a rival party’s conference.

Who runs them, who funds them?

The President of the ‘European Movement UK’ is Lord Heseltine, who is one of the main two speakers being anchored by the BBC’s Vicki Young today. Its Chief Executive is Lord Andrew Adonis.

The last information we have on the funding of the ‘European Movement UK’ comes from foreign billionaire Georg Soros’s “Open Society Foundations”. The Soros Foundations donated $140,000 in 2017 and a further $245,572 in 2018. This information comes from the most up-to-date accounts. We don’t know what funding they may have continued to receive from ‘Open Society Foundations’ after 2018, nor what funding they receive from other sources.

Former MEP David Campbell Bannerman gave us his comments

“The European Movement in Britain is no longer some independent think tank but an active political party and rival to the Conservative Party. What is it doing at the Conservative Conference; and why are Conservatives giving it the time of day? Remember it stood candidates against the Tories in European elections and backed Dominic Grieve in the Beaconsfield by-election against the successful Tory MP Joy Morrissey. They want the UK to be submerged in a European superstate.”

How big are they?

The European Movement now has 18 staff, having just recruited two more “Communication and Campaign Officers” last month.

In addition the organisation has five Executives, 10 Executive Committee Members, 107 National Council Members, four Patrons, and a huge number of local groups.

Not only do they dwarf the very small (but highly productive) Brexit Facts4EU.Org, they are also far bigger than the umbrella organisation to which we are affiliated: CIBUK.

What are they campaigning for?

This large organisation is intent on reversing Brexit and taking the UK back into the EU – on any terms. Here is what they say about themselves:-

“We are the only organisation with the courage to expose the calamity of Brexit and win the Battle for the Soul of our Country”
- European Movement UK Twitter profile

“Brexit costs Britain a staggering £1 million per hour. Our rights are under threat. Brexit isn’t working. As the largest and fastest-growing pro-European movement, we are leading the fight to reverse the calamity of Brexit.”
- European Movement UK homepage intro

Unlike Brexit Facts4EU.Org, there is no detailed factual research on the organisation’s website.

Observations

There must surely come a point where all fair-minded people in the country, regardless of how they voted in the EU Referendum, must say “Enough is enough”.

The BBC is now so far beyond any reasonable definition of the word ‘impartial’ as to be in an alternative universe. It is simply not fit for purpose as a state broadcaster.

We simply do not understand how the BBC’s Deputy Political Editor can think it remotely acceptable to be anchoring an event like this. It must be stressed that this is an event organised by an extremist Rejoiner organisation. By using the BBC’s Deputy Political Editor to anchor the event, the ‘European Movement UK’ are in effect gaining credibility for their cause off the back of the BBC.

We would like to know if Ms Young sought and received approval from BBC senior management for this apparently private event. If so, we would like to know who approved it.

Facts4EU.Org makes no claims to be impartial when it comes to Brexit. However we are not funded by an obligatory annual tax on all citizens with a TV. We can say and do what we like (within the law) and if people choose to make payments for the services we provide that is their choice. All these payments come from members of the public – sadly we receive nothing from foreign billionaires.

And on the subject of funding…

We are a 'not for profit' team (we make a loss) and any payment goes towards the actual work, not plush London offices, lunch or taxi expenses, or other luxuries of some organisations.

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[ Sources: European Movement UK | Open Society Foundations ] Politicians and journalists can contact us for details, as ever.

Brexit Facts4EU.Org, Mon 03 Oct 2022

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Reader Comments 16

1. Adam , Monday, October 03, 2022, 09:19:

Who still gives airtime to the failed never was Hesletine apart from the BBC and sly news of course a Man who so famously failed to become PM after stabbing Margaret Thatcher in the back then lost to an even bigger 🤡 John Major

2. Brexit Lover , Monday, October 03, 2022, 13:37:

Won't be watching so don't care. The BBC and the rest of the remainstream media scum are an utter disgrace, only beaten by our pathetic self serving politicians!!
All utterly useless and spineless liars the !ot of them!! 🤬🤬

3. Adam , Monday, October 03, 2022, 14:10:

I am not a fan of the current Government but the pro-leave side must get it's act together or risk letting in a pro-EU Labour Government led by Remoaners Starmer, Lammy and Thornberry, the Truss administration needs to pursue its low regulation low tax United Kingdom ditch the stupid Northern Ireland protocol leave the ECHR and UN Convention on Refugees

4. Buster , Monday, October 03, 2022, 15:22:

This isn’t news.
It presumably isn’t a BBC event. She is presumably hosting it in a personal capacity. In the same way that Brexitist ‘journalists’ like Iain Dale, Nick Ferrari, Christopher Hope, the IEA mob and so on sometimes do this sort of stuff.
Facts4EU really needs to get over it. Half of the country voted remain - including the vast majority of young people. Hardly any have changed their minds - with new voters remaining overwhelmingly pro-EU.
Meanwhile elderly Brexit voters are dying out fast - with Covid giving them a helping hand along.
People who voted remain rejected Brexit because it is bad for our country. Facts have proven them right. It has been a monumental disaster - with Brexitists massively harming the economy, damaging our democracy, undermining our institutions, crapping on the rule of law and even putting a border down the Irish Sea.
Supporting Brexit in 2016 may have been noble enough but supporting it in 2022 is simply treachery. You are knowingly and deliberately harming your country and its people and, frankly, you should hang. And with any luck one day many of you will.

5. Northern Realist , Monday, October 03, 2022, 15:33:

Ooooh, Buster!! You are a card!!!
I do enjoy your contributions, even if only for the swivel-eyed-loonery of them.
Do keep going!!

6. terence patrick hewett , Monday, October 03, 2022, 16:30:

@Buster
Typical slave mentality of the incurable Rejoiniac.

7. B Whittall , Monday, October 03, 2022, 17:40:

Why was this even allowed at a tory party conference. Let them hold their own conference and see who goes
Over half of people in the UK voted for brexit and they weren't all elderly

8. Adam , Monday, October 03, 2022, 18:21:

To the ignoramus Remoaners gracing us with their unwanted messages today not all Brexiteers are elderly I am 38 and a proud leaver and to wish the elderly to die is pretty despicable even for Remoaner standards if it wasn't for the elderly fighting in ww2 You would be speaking German today show some respect if Remoaners were around in ww2 Hitler would of received a state visit they would also light fires for the Luftwaffe as well good day to you

9. Llwyd , Monday, October 03, 2022, 18:50:

Not so Buster, the BBC’s political editor being involved in a partisan event should be reported. They’ve a duty to be impartial and it’s in their own charter. The ‘Brexitist journalists’ you mention work privately and aren’t bound by the same rules.
Facts4EU is over it and they are there to report the benefits of Brexit and to oppose others who’d try to reverse the countries’ democratic decision.
Where’s your evidence that the overwhelming number of young people voted Remain? Voter ages aren’t recorded at the ballot box and besides this the majority of young people simply don’t vote anyway as they tend to have less interest in politics as a rule.
I’d also like to know your sources for the statement that ‘Hardly any have changed their minds’ and that ‘new voters remain overwhelmingly pro-EU’. With the hostile actions of the EU over the last 6 years, for example in relation to Northern Ireland and to the vaccine procurement process, I have come across many people who’ve had a change of heart about their Remain vote and not one person I know who voted Leave has changed their opinion.
Meanwhile your attitudes to the elderly are frankly contemptible. Don’t you have parents, grandparents or elderly friends?
Also could you provide the evidence that Brexit has seriously harmed the economy, damaged our institutions or democracy as you suggest?
The UK never had any intention of putting a border down the Irish Sea and it could’ve easily been handled by customs officials as indeed those same officials stated at the time. The truth is that the EU team negotiating the withdrawal always had the intention of weaponising the Northern Ireland situation to keep ECJ jurisdiction over the UK. This was admitted by Michel Barnier himself in a TV documentary.
Supporting Brexit in 2022 is certainly not treachery, whereas trying to overturn democracy by reversing a referendum almost certainly is.
Calling for the hanging of half the population for doing so is ridiculous and infantile.

10. Sparky , Monday, October 03, 2022, 19:03:

Governments don’t like and have encouraged criticism of the BBC because they don’t behave like a state media they would prefer, the current government have taken this to another level. Brexitears have jumped on the band wagon because they don’t like the fact that Brexit is not delivering the sun lit uplands and success sold to the voters by proven liars with false promises. Brexitears have a habit of making excuses and blaming others for the flop of Brexit, the BBC is an just an easy target.

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