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Reader sets off on 600km Brexit bike ride

A reader from the Charente will set off on a bike ride of more than 600km this weekend to deliver a print-out of his 15,000-name Brexit petition to PM Theresa May and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn in Westminster.

Paul Hearn, 57, started his ‘Cancel Brexit’ petition, which he will close after the bike ride, because he believes the UK public was not given good quality and honest information about the EU before they were asked to vote.

He thinks there is evidence the ‘will of the people’ may have changed since; he is also concerned that MPs did not have an opportunity to freely express their own judgement on membership of the EU – so he proposes they now be allowed a free vote on whether to cancel Brexit or not.

“Everyone in the UK and UK nationals living in other EU countries will be affected if Brexit continues in the current political atmosphere,” his petition says.

He told Connexion: “I have received support for my cycle ride from many people in France and I will be meeting a few of them as I cycle north.

“I included quite a lot of text with my petition to explain my motivation and concerns – why a 57-year-old, 97kg, bloke who has never done anything political in his life feels he has to raise a petition and then get on his bike to bring more attention to it.”

Mr Hearn has also started a second, back-up petition on the official government and parliament petitions site.

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