X-MEN leader Professor X and Star Trek’s Captain Jean-Luc Picard would have voted Remain, according to the actor who played the roles.
Patrick Stewart made the claim yesterday as he criticised Jeremy Corbyn’s handling of the Brexit result and launched a campaign calling for a fresh referendum giving the public a say on the final exit deal.
Stewart, who portrayed psychic Professor Charles Xavier in the Hollywood series after finding international fame as the Star Fleet captain, appeared on the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show yesterday as he prepared to launch the People’s Vote campaign group.
The organisation wants the public, not politicians, to have the power to approve or reject the final Brexit deal and held a rally in London yesterday.
However, both the Tories and Labour have ruled out the possibility of a referendum on the subject and time to change their minds is running out.
It is hoped that Britain and the EU can reach an agreement on a Brexit deal by October in order for this to be ratified by both parliaments before March next year, when the UK’s membership of the bloc formally comes to an end.
Stewart said the campaign was not a rejection of the Brexit result, arguing that some of the claims used by the Leave side – including a promise of additional £350 million a day for the NHS – were “misleading”.
He said: “The campaign for the People’s Vote is simply requesting that we have another chance to consider what the terms of this divorce are going to be.
“I am not a politician, I am not an economist, I am not in the foreign service. What I am motivated by is history and emotion. When on January 1, 1973, we finally became, along with Ireland, members of the European Union, it was one of the grandest days of my life.
“I’m a war baby, I was born in 1940, and when I began to be aware of the world that was around me, a lot of it was not good, so for me when we finally became part of that union it was one of the most exciting days of my adult life.”
The Labour supporters also criticised Corbyn’s leadership over the issue, saying: “I don’t know what is going on with all that. Jeremy is a puzzle to me. There is a huge question mark from my own personal point of view hanging over the leader of the Labour Party at the moment.”
On his own involvement with the campaign, Stewart said: “Celebrity has a certain value.
“If my involvement in this campaign is going to be of use to those running the campaign then I am very happy to be here because it is where I philosophically feel about the European community.”
When asked whether it would take super powers to change the situation, the 77-year-old continued: “The two roles I am most well-known for, Jean-Luc Picard from Star Trek and Charles Xavier from X-Men, were excellent, admirable individuals – yes, intellectuals, but also compassionate and concerned for the wellbeing of everyone. They would have voted Remain.”
Rebutting the actor’s comments, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson also recalled Star Trek, saying: “I think we’ll get a great result and we’ll be able to have not only a gigantic free trade deal with our friends and partners across the channel, but we’ll be able to boldly go to areas we perhaps neglected.”
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