‘You have wrecked my dreams’ – European student’s letter to Boris Johnson over Brexit

Dear prime minister,

I am writing this letter to you out of despair and anger.

Until now I did not realise how miserable life could be. You have caused me significant mental health issues, recurrent stress and anxiety. You have wrecked my career plan and the future I was aiming to achieve.

Coming from a working-class French family, Britain was my dream. I was determined and passionate about living here. I did everything I could to make this dream come true. Despite bullying and harassment at school for years, disagreement with family, and a hell of a lot of hard work, I finally made it. I have attended a prestigious university in London, graduated, and now have made my way through to a Masters.

I have always wanted to be a lawyer. Not to earn a lot of money, but in order to do what is right for people, and because it is my nature to help others and support those who are in need. But you may not be able to understand that given that you have given yourself the mission to destroy Britain’s economy, separate families, and make millions of people poorer and more distressed than they already are, whilst you will be living your best life in your fancy house with hundreds thousands pounds of wages unfairly earned on the taxpayers’ back.

I am extremely delighted to have given five years of my life to the country I loved and cherished the most, but to get what in return? Contemplating being kicked out, losing all of my friends and new relationships. Losing everything I have spent almost five years of my life to build and for what reasons? For some ridiculous and pointless partisan childish quarrels and underlying lies you have been serving us for 3 years now.

Like the millions of European citizens living in the UK, I have given more to this country than I did to my own, which abandoned me when I needed it the most. I have given my time, my money, my honour and my pride to Britain. This is why, since 2015, I have been protesting against Brexit – because I consider it undemocratic, illegal, unfair and most of all nothing but hurtful. Illegal because your Vote Leave campaign broke electoral law. Unfair and undemocratic because it did not give the opportunity to European citizens to take part into it – those most affected by the outcome. Breaking the law seems to come second nature to you now.

I will continue to fight Brexit right up until the final minute. I do not believe anybody here really wants the Brexit you are about to serve to the country. Nobody ever voted for a no-deal exit from the European Union, they did not have a say on your deal either. The 17.4 million people who voted Leave made their decision based on the lies and manipulation, and you know that better than anyone else that to be true!

You continue to forget the 16.1 million who voted Remain, just like you are forgetting the millions of European citizens living in the UK, whose lives you are about to destroy. You are about to destroy families and relationships, you will make lives harder and more costly. You are ridiculing Britain on the international stage, and you are ridiculing yourself as the stubborn and irrational leader of a self-destructive system that is Brexit. All in order to imitate Nigel Farage. Is this what the founders of the Conservative Party always ever wanted for their party?

I fear you have no idea of what you are doing. You have no idea what Britain will look like outside of the European Union. You have ignored the consequences of such a decision, yet you have decided to go ahead with it, putting your party and ego before the interest of your own nation and your own people.

I don’t think that your country will ever forgive you for doing so.

Yours Sincerely,

Émilie Ancelin