This is why we've set up Renew – the new political party that will stop Brexit

When you contemplated voting last summer, was it with the keen anticipation of making your voice heard, standing up for your beliefs and backing candidates who would make a difference? For some of us it was; but for others it was a different experience altogether. It was an uninspiring choice between the least-worst options, offering little hope of change. Millions of people voted without believing any candidate really understood their needs and would speak for them. Ultimately, this is the problem Renew, the new anti-Brexit party of which I am a member, exists to fix.

With a few noble exceptions, moderate MPs of both major parties have been cowed into silence by more extreme colleagues, who every day act out shocking and irrational displays of ideological purity – displays in which the real interests of the British people are lost. The Good Friday Agreement is the most recent victim, denigrated by Labour and Conservative politicians as only a complication in the issue that hangs over everything – Brexit. And while the charade drags on, the myriad problems we face in society get worse.

Since Renew launched last Autumn on a platform to rethink Brexit, we have received thousands of messages of support for our goal to shake up British politics with people from outside the system, bringing in fresh solutions and creating a new vision for the country. They support the need to restore integrity, common sense and the national interest to the heart of British politics.

We hear from many people – on both sides of the Brexit divide – about the huge challenges they face today. They are parents, desperate for a suitable home in which to raise their children. They are council workers, trying to help families but deprived of the resources to do so. They are small business owners who want to expand, but lack the certainty to invest. They are graduates struggling to make use of their talents. All the while, many more feel left behind and abandoned by a society that prefers to push ahead into a future of opportunity without them.

Neither side has all the answers to these problems – good public services must be supported by a strong economy, but no economy is sustainable if it hollows out the society in which it exists. At Renew, we’re focused on solving problems left festering for decades. That’s why we’ve launched our Listen to Britain tour. Over the next few months, we will engage people all over the country about what matters to them, so we can develop innovative, responsive policies.

We are building a programme to give people more control over their own destinies by opening up more and better opportunities for everyone, making our country fairer in the process. We want to repair the social safety net and ensure that nobody is left behind by technological change or globalisation. We want to build a society in which everyone is, and feels, free to be who they are, and which celebrates our diversity. And we want to do all this in a way that is sustainable for future generations – a way that doesn’t leave them saddled with debt or living in a ruined environment.

We hope to stop Brexit – none of the problems people raise with us will be solved by leaving the EU; many will be made worse. Our role in the EU has benefited both us, and our closest neighbours, in so many areas. But Renew is about much more than staying in Europe. It’s about making sure that come the next election, everyone can cast their ballot with enthusiasm, choosing to solve the problems we face today and create opportunities for all, as we move into the future together, with hope.

James Torrance is a principal of Renew