March 8th, 2019

Angela Rayner MP
Shadow Secretary of State for Education
House of Commons
London
SW1A 0AA

Dear Angela

We are writing to voice our concerns that if Brexit becomes reality, a future Labour
government will be unable to implement your much-needed education policy reforms. We
are seeking a written assurance that you will personally support a People’s Vote in
parliament and work to convince all Labour MPs to do the same.

Labour needs £25bn to pay for its National Education Service and Early Years reforms set
out in the 2017 manifesto. At the same time, the cost of Labour’s ‘alternative Brexit plan’ is
£24 billion per year to the economy*.

Funding Britain’s Future**, the document which accompanied Labour’s 2017 manifesto,
detailed the spending commitments on all policies, the funding required for Labour’s
education commitments is as follows:

Schools: increasing funding, including protection against losses

from the new funding formula, free school meals and arts pupil premium £6.3bn

Skills: introducing free FE tuition, equalising 16-19 funding

and restoring EMA £2.5bn

Childcare and early years including more money for Sure Start £5.3bn

Removing university tuition fees and restoring maintenance grants £11.2bn

Total £25.3bn

Students and young people voted in huge numbers for Labour in 2017 and they voted for
this programme.

Despite party policy now being to support a People’s Vote, we are very concerned that a
number of Labour MPs are still talking about an alternative ‘Labour Brexit’ and others saying
they will vote for the Prime Minister’s deal.

Brexit in any form will devastate your plans for education reform. Young people will continue
to lose out. The only way to stand by your reforms is for you to publicly support a People’s
Vote and call on all your colleagues to do the same.

We hope you agree that Labour simply cannot let young people down like the Liberal
Democrats did in coalition. If Labour goes back on its education commitments, it risks being
severely punished at the ballot box.

Brexit in any form will damage all of our public services, cost jobs and hit hardest those who
have least. On behalf of young people and Labour supporters across the country, we hope
and expect you will be vocal in your support for a People’s Vote.
Yours in solidarity,

Andrew Lewin – Founder, Remain Labour

Jason Arthur – Co-Founder, For our Future’s Sake

Sarah Jane Smith – Labour Students Vice Chair (Events and Communications)

Eda Cazimoglu – Labour Students International Officer

Terence Smith - Labour Students Disability Officer

Jack Galea - Labour Students BAME Officer
Dan Bewley – Labour Students National Policy Forum Representative

Harry Picken - Labour Students Regional Coordinator, North West

Scarlet Conway - Labour Students Policy Committee

Ellie James – Labour Students Regional Coordinator, Yorkshire and the Humber

Elsie Greenwood - Edinburgh Labour Students

Kira Millana Lewis - Kings College London Labour Students
Jamie Dickinson - Northumbria Labour Students
Eluned Anderson - Liverpool Labour Students
Abi Lockwood - Hull Labour Students
Thom Chapman – De Montford University Labour Students

Cameron Clack – De Montford University Labour Students

Tom Ward – De Montford University Labour Students

Chris Bhim – Leeds Labour Students BAME Officer

Sources
*https://www.remain-labour.co.uk/policy-briefing-labour-austerity
**http://labour.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Funding-Britains-Future.pdf.