Brexit legacy: Fundraising campaign for historic £650k Museum of Brexit gets underway

Global reaction pours in over Brexit result

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And former chancellor Lord Lawson is among those calling on people from across the political spectrum to pitch in to raise the £650,000 needed to turn the dream into a reality. Britain voted to quit the bloc on June 23, 2016, and was originally due to sever ties on March 29, 2019, two years after then Prime Minister Theresa May triggered Article 50.

However, Mrs May failed on three occasions to get her Withdrawal Agreement through Parliament, a failure which ultimately cost the Tory MP for Maidenhead her job – and forced the UK to seek an extension until January 31, 2020.Alex Deane, on of the Museum’s trustees, said time was now of the essence.

He explained: “There is a tremendous story behind this that deserves to be preserved.

“Unless we act fast, much of the material from the referendum will be lost.

“Gaps will then be filled with misperceptions, fake news, and myth.

“Our objective is to plug that gap at the time when it is easiest, right now while memories are fresh, attics are still filled recruiting with treasures, and before items and stories get lost”.

Mr Deane explained: “To achieve this we need to appeal to the people whose work must be remembered.

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“Our immediate target is to raise £400,000 to purchase a property, at which point the project can become a bricks and mortar entity.

“The next target is to raise a further £250,000 to set up the museum.

“This includes staff with the appropriate curatorial, archiving and administrative backgrounds.

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“This is an exciting moment in the development of our project, one that will enable historians to see the whole picture, beyond the partisan headlines and one that will welcome all.”

The plans have the support of politicians including Lord Lawson and former Foreign Secretary Lord Owen, both of whom believe future students of history must see all sides of a debate to understand how Brexit became a reality.

Lord Lawson, said: “The debate about the United Kingdom’s evolving relationship with its neighbours, and its place in the world, has been of critical national significance.

“We need to capture those records and stories for posterity.”

Lord Owen, former Foreign Secretary added: “This is an important initiative recognised by the Charity Commission and I encourage everyone to contribute.”

The project has a website, museumofbrexit.uk, which outlines its ambition to “establish a museum that tells the history of what we know today as Brexit.

“It’s the story of how the UK – in official terms – “pooled” (or surrendered), and then reclaimed, our sovereignty.”

The museum is described as “a public collection that tells the story of the Eurosceptic Movement and its people across the decades (and countries), starting off in the wider context of defining Sovereignty through the ages and our relationship with Europe’s great powers.”

There are additional plans for an archive, a library and an outreach resource “providing ongoing support to those working in post-Brexit issues, especially to Eurosceptics abroad”.

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