Jeremy Corbyn, I represent our party in the European Parliament – please do what’s right for our constituents

No government in our history has ever intentionally and knowingly made our citizens poorer. A government’s first duty is to protect its citizens. This proposal from Theresa May is a complete dereliction of duty

We can’t implement our campaign promises in the event of a no-deal Brexit (Reuters)

Since Jeremy Corbyn’s election as leader he has promised to make the Labour Party more democratic and give power back to the grassroots. That is one of the reasons why I supported his campaign twice: I believed in a different way of doing politics. He has begun to deliver on that promise by instigating the Democracy Review. But there is more work to do if members are to feel they are truly being listened to.

Seventy-five per cent of Labour members now back giving the people a Final Say on the Brexit deal, and if Jeremy is to fulfil his promise to the membership then backing that should be Labour policy. Otherwise, he risks losing the faith of those who championed him against all odds.

New polling of 25,000 people suggests that Labour risks losing millions of supporters if it supports some form of compromise deal or fails to order MPs to oppose Brexit. Simply put, Labour could face a mass exodus of members and activists, which would be catastrophic for the mass grassroots movement that Jeremy Corbyn has built up since becoming leader in 2015.

Labour, under Jeremy Corbyn, has consistently made the case to fight austerity and initiate a fair redistribution of wealth – this would be extremely hard to do with the financial repercussions that would result from pushing through Theresa May’s Brexit deal. Since the referendum, the UK is already £500m a week worse off and households up to £900 a year less wealthy, and we have not even left the EU yet. Brexit is hitting the poorest and most vulnerable the hardest and will continue to do so.

The government’s own figures show us that we will be poorer under any form of deal outside of the EU. The prime minister’s deal would cost £1,100 per person a year, and £100bn over a 10-year period.

No government in our history has ever intentionally and knowingly made our citizens poorer. A government’s first duty is to protect its citizens. This proposal from Theresa May is a complete dereliction of duty. The Labour Party must not back a Tory Brexit – the constituencies that we represent and those we wish to represent would not forgive us.

A no-deal outcome would cause catastrophic damage and disruption to our services, businesses, families and communities right across the UK on a scale we would not have seen since 1945. Falling back on to WTO trade rules would cost our economy up to 8 per cent of GDP – we would be the only country without a single trade deal in the world.

Make no mistake, we are living through a profound national crisis that could define our country for decades. Isolationism has never and will never be the answer, especially in such politically turbulent times. The major question is: do we want to be an open and tolerant society or one that is closed off from our allies?

The Labour Party cannot continue being silent and walking on the other side regarding the most important decision of our lifetime. We should not shirk our international responsibilities and moral duty to protect those in our society who would suffer the most because of Brexit. Nor should we abandon our nearest neighbours and socialist and democrat friends in the rest of Europe as they fight against the far right and dangerous nationalism.

Labour needs to demonstrate that it is indeed a government in waiting. Our 2017 manifesto resonated with so many people across the UK who want an alternative vision for the country. We outlined a clear vision for a fairer, more equal and compassionate society, but Labour will struggle to implement that manifesto in a UK plagued by the economic downturn Brexit will cause and a parliament clogged with legislation associated with a messy withdrawal.

To be clear, Labour cannot successfully implement its manifesto commitments outside of the European Union, where we would be a rule taker, not a rule maker.

As a Labour MEP, I feel we must fight for the UK’s place and voice in Europe. In the referendum there was barely a positive word mentioned about remaining – yet working in the European Parliament, I see on a daily basis what good it does for the citizens across the 28 EU member states, especially in the poorer regions.

Britain has been at the heart of the European Union for the past 40 years, working alongside other member states to prolong peace, to work collaboratively in academia, the sciences, and the arts while enhancing prosperity through the single market and as a trading bloc of 500 million people. It has also been the framework for progression on workers’ rights, human rights, gender equality and social protections.

Our shared history tells us that our future belongs in Europe; Britain and the Labour Party has always been a leader in building the international institutions that contribute to peace and prosperity. These institutions give us all a stronger voice.

With the current impasse in Westminster, a vote on the Brexit deal is the only way through the deadlock. My fellow MEPs and I believe that now only the British electorate can and should have the Final Say.

The old adage is that the night is darkest before the dawn, and it is now for the Labour Party to lead the country out of the Brexit darkness.

Julie Ward is an MEP for the North West England region for the Labour Party