Questions were taken from the audience throughout the debate, with answers given on topics including the possibility of a second referendum, the Labour Party's stance on Brexit, the reaction of business and how the EU will cope without Britain.
David Collins, a Professor of International Economic Law, tackled the issue of a second referendum, calling it:
A disastrous idea, it would be an assault on democracy such as this country has never seen. It would basically be saying to anyone that voted leave: 'Your vote doesn't count.'
Former Labour MP and current prospective parliamentary candidate Sally Keeble answered a question on how Labour can balance the mix of leave and remain voters in their heartlands, explaining:
We have got to deliver [Brexit] in a way that makes sure we don't damage the interests of labour voters in those leave areas who will see their jobs hit and we also try to maintain the benefits of close integration with Europe, which I'm sure are the kind of issues that the people here would feel.
President Emeritus of the Foreign Press Association in the UK Jürgen Krönig provided an international perspective and spoke on what the EU should do, saying:
Britain is an enormous loss [to the EU]. Recently a figure was published in Germany – 200,000 jobs are in danger because of difficulties of exporting cars into Britain.
Emma Duncan, Social Policy Editor of the Economist, spoke about the impact on the UK economy and the reaction of business to any potential Brexit deal, asking:
On the future trading relationship and WTO trading rules, will it be bad for us? I don't know, and that's the problem – nobody really knows. Business hates uncertainty, that is the thing that business hates most. That is bad for all of us because it disinclines business to invest.
Thank you to our speakers, the chair and everyone who came along and made the evening a success. If you'd like more information on Brexit for staff and students, you can visit our Brexit hub.
