Thank you and farewell from BrexitCentral

Thank you and farewell from BrexitCentral

As we explained at the beginning of the year, having just sent out the 1,085th and final BrexitCentral daily email following our formal departure from the EU last night, this is the final post on the website.

Since September 2016 we’ve published more than 2,000 posts from more than 500 different authors and, on behalf of the entire BrexitCentral team, I’d like to thank every single one of them for helping inform discussion and debate about a whole range of matters relating to Brexit these last three and a half years.

I can’t name every single one (you can see the full list for yourself here) but I would just like to highlight a few individuals who demonstrate how impressive a cross-section of contributors we have been privileged to publish.

Boris Johnson and a string of senior members of his Cabinet, including Priti Patel, Sajid Javid, Dominic Raab and Michael Gove, have all written for us, along with former ministers such as Liam Fox, David Davis, Sir Iain Duncan Smith, Steve Baker and Suella Braverman as well as rising stars on the Tory benches in Parliament like Conor Burns, Simon Clarke, Anne-Marie Trevelyan and Robert Courts.

Labour Leavers including Gisela Stuart, Kate Hoey, Bryan Gould, John Mills, Brendan Chilton and the indefatigable Austin Mitchell have kept the red Brexiteer flag flying, whilst we’ve regularly featured the writing of political figures from others parties such as Patrick O’Flynn, Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, Suzanne Evans, Richard Tice and Lord Owen.

We’ve had a business perspective offered by the likes of Sir Rocco Forte, John Longworth, Simon Boyd and Alastair MacMillan; we’ve regularly run pieces from legal and trade experts such as Martin Howe QC and Shanker Singham; academics like Patrick Minford, David Paton, Matthew Goodwin and Graham Gudgin have all shared their wisdom; and we’ve also appreciated the contributions of overseas observers like Alexander Downer, Pieter Cleppe, Ted Bromund and Peggy Grande.

It’s been great to publish pieces from some of those who campaigned for Remain at the referendum but then genuinely accepted the democratic outcome of the referendum and embraced the opportunities that Brexit affords – people like Chloe Schendel-Wilson, Murad Gassanly, Ben Bradley, Grant Shapps, Mark Harper and Stanley Johnson.

And I’ve especially enjoyed being able to give a platform to younger voices challenging the conventional caricature of what a Brexiteer looks like by publishing the work of people like Inaya Folarin Iman, Jack Walters, Samia Hersi, Emily Hewertson and Dominique Samuels.

So I thank each and every one of our authors.

I’d also like to thank all of those who have been part of the BrexitCentral team. First and foremost to our unpaid Editor-at-Large, Matthew Elliott, who conceived the idea of the website after running the victorious Vote Leave campaign and has remained a constant source of inspiration and wise counsel throughout; to my Deputy Editors past and present – Jordan Taylor, Darren Grimes, Hugh Bennett, David Scullion, Jordan Ryan, Drusilla Summers and Liam Vernon – who have, like me, worked many an early morning and late night to deliver the product; and to Georgiana Bristol, Suya Skanthan, Meg Hanks and Elizabeth Elliott, all of whom have done essential work for us behind the scenes.

I’d also like to reiterate my thanks to those who have supported us financially since 2016 because without those generous donations, there would have been no BrexitCentral.

And my final thanks are to you, our readers, for your loyalty and support throughout this process. We have been touched by the many messages you have sent – both in the last few weeks and over the last three and a half years – expressing gratitude for what we have done. It has meant the world to know how much our service has been appreciated, making those pre-6am alarm calls just a little more tolerable.

On our launch, Matthew promised:

“Not only will we be providing a resource for everyone wanting to follow the twists and turns of the UK’s departure from the EU, but we will also be promoting anew that positive vision of a confident, independent, free-trading, sovereign nation and seeking to counter the doom and negativity of those who remain unwilling to accept the referendum result.”

I am proud to submit that this is exactly what we did.

Last week, we published a list of websites and groups to follow in order to keep up to speed with post-Brexit negotiations and developments, which I hope will help to fill the void that we leave.

And as I sign off for the last time, if you haven’t done so already, can I urge you to read The Brexit Story, as told by BrexitCentral – my long read which chronicles the ups and downs of this exciting journey on which it has been a pleasure to have your company.