Over 50 civil society organisations call on the Prime Minister to extend the transition period

Over 50 civil society organisations have written to Prime Minister Boris Johnson urging for an extension to the transition period to be sought in light of the added pressure that has been created by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Organisations that have joined together to call on the Government to extend the transition period comes from across the nations and regions of the UK. They include those that work in national programme delivery and those delivering front-line services.

As the UK government is rightly consumed by the crisis, signatories warn that there will be insufficient time to negotiate, scrutinise and implement an agreement on the future relationship by the 31st December 2020.

Read the letter below.


Dear Prime Minister, 

We are writing to you as civil society organisations from across the UK to ask the Government to extend the transition period in light of the Covid-19 pandemic.

As the unprecedented health and economic crisis of Covid-19 is rightly taking up capacity across government in the UK and EU member states, there will understandably be insufficient time to negotiate, scrutinise and implement an agreement on the future relationship by 31st December 2020. The Government’s immediate priority must be on protecting our economy, our society, and people in vulnerable situations, from the impacts of the pandemic at this time. 

In the week of 9th March 2020, all face-to-face trade talks were cancelled, with only limited virtual talks resuming recently. As each country across Europe increases its state of emergency, capacity to undertake the talks across the 27 member states is further reduced. The capacity of the UK and the EU states to make the domestic preparations needed to exit the transition period and implement the Withdrawal Agreement has already been severely limited. 

It is essential therefore that the Government agrees as soon as possible with EU partners that the transition period is extended past 31 December 2020. 

We look forward to hearing from you. 

Sincerely, 

  1. Andrea Brown, Chief Executive (Interim), Disability Action Northern Ireland

  2. Anna Fowlie, Chief Executive, Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations

  3. Anne McVicker, Director, Women’s Resource and Development Agency

  4. Auriol Miller, Director, Institute for Welsh Affairs

  5. Barbara Drozdowicz, Chief Executive Officer, East European Resource Centre

  6. Bijon Sinha, Administrator, Compton's Yard Charitable Trust

  7. Brian Gormally, Director, Committee on the Administration of Justice

  8. Caitlin Boswell-Jones, Project Officer (EU Citizens), Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants

  9. Carol Botten, Chief Executive, Voluntary Organisations Network North East 

  10. Christopher Desira, Director/Solicitor, Seraphus

  11. Christopher Stacey, Co-director, Unlock - for people with convictions

  12. Denise McDowell, Chief Executive, Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit

  13. Dr Keith Tyrell, Director, Pesticide Action Network UK

  14. Fiona Godfrey/ Jane Golding, Co-Chairs, British in Europe 

  15. Ele Hicks, Policy Manager, Diverse Cymru

  16. Emma Ritch, Executive Director, Engender

  17. Gwenllian Lansdown Davies, Chief Executive, Mudiad Meithrin

  18. Heather Fisken, Head of Policy and Research Team, Inclusion Scotland

  19. Helen Crickard, Co-ordinator, Reclaim the Agenda

  20. Helen Swain, CEO, Cyfannol Women's Aid

  21. Ilse Mogensen, Head of Advocacy and Campaigns, the3million

  22. Jackie Murphy, CEO, TGP Cymru

  23. Janet Fenton, Organiser, Secure Scotland

  24. Janis McDonald, Chief Officer, deafscotland (Scottish Council on Deafness) 

  25. Jardine Simpson, Chief Executive, Scottish Recovery Consortium

  26. Jennifer Ang, Director, JustRight Scotland

  27. Jo Pike, CEO, Scottish Wildlife Trust

  28. Julie Bishop, Director, Law Centres Network

  29. Kevin Hanratty, Director, Human Rights Consortium

  30. Kierra Box, Brexit Campaigner, Friends of the Earth

  31. Kush Chottera, Executive Director, Europia

  32. Liz O'Neill, Director, GM Freeze

  33. Loraine Griffin, Manager, Community Organisations of South Tyrone & Areas Ltd

  34. Lucila Granada, Chief Executive Officer, Focus on Labour Exploitation

  35. Lumturi Podrimaj, Project Manager, Advice NI

  36. Lynne Stafford, Chief Executive, Gaddum

  37. Magda Fabianczyk and Marzena Zukowska, Co-Directors, Polish Migrants Organise for Change (POMOC)

  38. Mhairi Snowden, Coordinator, Human Rights Consortium Scotland

  39. Mike Shooter, CBE Chairperson, Play Wales / Chwarae Cymru

  40. Nathalie Sherring, Chief Officer, Dorset Race Equality Council

  41. Paddy Kelly, Director, Children's Law Centre

  42. Peter Ritchie, Director, Nourish Scotland 

  43. Professor Ian Welsh OBE, Chief Executive, Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland (the ALLIANCE)

  44. Professor Robert Moore, North Wales Regional Equality Network

  45. Rachel Powell, Women’s Sector Lobbyist, Women’s Resource and Development Agency

  46. Revd Dr Noel A Davies, Chair, Cytun Working Party on Wales and Europe

  47. Robert CJ Allison, Manager, Equality Cards

  48. Roger Casale, Secretary General & CEO, New Europeans

  49. Sam Smethers, Chief Executive, Fawcett Society

  50. Seamus McAleavey, Chief Executive, Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action 

  51. Shaben Begum, Director, Scottish Independent Advocacy Alliance

  52. Sue Lister MBE, Artistic Director, Real People Theatre

  53. Susie Ventris-Field, Chief Executive, Welsh Centre for International Affairs

  54. Sylvia Ingmire, CEO, Roma Support Group

  55. Tara-Grace Connolly, NIYF Treasurer & Brexit Spokesperson, Northern Ireland Youth Forum