London (AFP) – Campaigners demanding a second Brexit referendum launched a Black Friday pop-up shop offering the “worst deal ever” with mock items highlighting the potential cost of leaving the EU.
The “Costupper” shop in Peckham, a hipster quarter of south London, was set up by the People’s Vote campaign, which wants another referendum with the option of staying in the European Union.
Instead of slashed Black Friday prices, shoppers were lured in with signs like: “Welcome to your local inconvenience store” and “Huge reductions on disposable income”.
Once past the dying flowers in a bucket and Brexit Bill — a man dancing about outside dressed as a £50 billion wad of banknotes — shoppers could browse over the few rotting bits of fruit.
All the items in the shop were real — but with new labels such as “Brexit shampoo — takes the shine off your day”, Brexit fudge and “Brexit tampons — ultra expensive. Period.”
Several shelves were deliberately empty, including the pharmacy section, highlighting concerns about the need to stockpile imported medicine.
A Bank of Brexit cash machine told users that their balance was down £448 a year due to Britain’s 2016 vote to leave the EU.
– ‘Muddled mess’ –
British Prime Minister Theresa May on Friday dismissed calls for a second Brexit referendum.
Britain and the EU have agreed on the outlines of post-Brexit ties as part of a draft deal due to be signed off by EU leaders on Sunday.
However, the agreement faces heavy opposition in the British parliament, with hardcore Brexiteers and EU supporters alike unhappy with the agreement’s compromises.
“It’s a joke on Black Friday but there’s a serious point: in this shop are some of the worst deals you could hope to find,” said Richard Brooks, co-founder of For Our Future’s Sake, a student-led anti-Brexit movement that forms part of the People’s Vote campaign.
“However bad these deals are in this shop, it’s nowhere near as bad as the Brexit deal that’s being delivered,” he told AFP.
“This is the best Brexit deal that we could have got. The problem with Brexit isn’t Theresa May; Theresa May’s problem is Brexit.”
“We’ve got this muddled mess of a deal where we’re paying £50 billion for the privilege of having less power and prosperity.”
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.