David SASSOLI, EP President, Richard CORBETT (S&D, UK), Caroline VOADEN (RE, UK), Molly SCOTT CATO (Greens/EFA, UK) and Diane DODDS (NI, UK) speak at the ceremony following the vote on the withdrawal Agreement of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community, during the plenary session (29-30 January 20220) of the European Parliament in Brussels.

Brussels

Brexit (T)

statement

DODDS, Diane (NI, UK)

SCOTT CATO, Molly (Greens/EFA, UK)

CORBETT, Richard (S&D, UK)

ceremony

SASSOLI, David Maria (S&D, IT, S&D, IT)

VOADEN, Caroline (Renew, UK)

Ceremony following the vote in plenary session: statement by David SASSOLI, EP President and UK members (political group leaders)

SOUNDBITE (Italian), David SASSOLI, EP President, There is one question going through my mind and that is if we really did everything we could to relay our message correctly to the UK public. And that is why this is a sad day.This is history so far, but maybe the full story is not yet told. Thank you.

SOUNDBITE (English), Richard CORBETT (S&amp;D, UK), You will go ahead without us building the Democratic European Union where all decisions have to be approved by an elected parliament as well as the elected ministers in the Council of ministers, that double double Democratic safeguard that is very important, it is what distinguishes the European Union from the WTO, the World Bank, the IMF, all those other bureaucratic organisations here living democracy is part of the structure let us cherish that let us make it work better and let us watch you take this further in our absence while we are on sabbatical. Thank you very much

SOUNDBITE (English), Caroline VOADEN (RE, UK), Brexit is the result of an ideological divide in our oldest political party. A party that should have and would have split up decades ago if it wasn&rsquo;t for a voting system that is undemocratic and unfit for purpose.The only silverlining in this very dark cloud is that the division caused by Brexit has to be the catalyst for something even bigger, a wholesale reform of our democracy in the UK.

SOUNDBITE (English), Molly SCOTT CATO (Greens/EFA, UK), I particularly look to the young people because I believe they&rsquo;re going to bring us back and I look forward to the day when I&rsquo;m gonna be sitting here or standing, let&rsquo;s hope it is not that long, and we&rsquo;re all going to be celebrating our return to our rightful place at the heart of Europe.

SOUNDBITE (English), Diane DODDS (NI, UK), When the United Kingdom will leave the institutions of the European Union it is a new journey, a new pathway. We wish our European friends well, we hope that as we develop a new relationship as we get to that new free trade deal that we will be able to work together and have a prosperous relationship both on trade and security and in many other issues as we move forward.