With Brexit getting closer and closer, one young man has joined forces with people from all over Northern Ireland in an attempt to stop the United Kingdom leaving the European Union next year.

Chris McCaffrey, from Kinawley and living in Belcoo, has joined Our Future Our Choice NI in an attempt to get a second referendum vote in relation to Brexit. The 23-year-old has been a staunch opponent of Brexit in his local area and this has led to him being the only Fermanagh person in the newly formed pressure group.

Our Future Our Choice is already set up and is based in London but have now expanded into Northern Ireland. The new group only met two weeks ago but have since released a video sharing their views on the current political situation with the hope of attracting more support.

“We are basically trying to get anyone that feels they are compelled and anyone that believes in the message to try and stop Brexit,” he explained.

“We are trying really to stop Brexit in the most sensible way which is campaigning and putting across the facts.”

And there are plans underway for the group to meet and lobby various politicians to try and garner support, with a meeting with Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar a possibility. The group are also planning to protest in Belfast and to travel to Westminster in October for the European summit as they seek that second referendum as well as visiting University Fresher Fairs to promote the cause.

“What I really like is we want to have a second referendum on Brexit but the difference being that it will be after Theresa May’s government negotiates a deal with the EU. The first referendum was yes, or no. A vote for Brexit was a blank sheet. They were promised things that weren’t achievable, and a lot were lied to. The difference being this time you will actually know what is on the table and this is the deal that the government made or maybe a no deal scenario.

“First time round was a bit of a farce. A lot of people have lost faith in Theresa May’s government to negotiate a good deal.

Chris has had the opportunity to get his views across to Brexiteers in the past, when leading Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg visited the border area of Belcoo and Blacklion. Chris spoke with the Tory MP about the damning effect leaving the EU will have on border communities and especially a hard border. And he was very critical of Rees-Moggs’s recent comments regarding searches at the border like during the troubles.

“I said a return to hard border would be unacceptable and he said along the lines ‘I don’t think that would happen’ and I said speculating on that matter isn’t much comfort.

“That’s totally unacceptable. Anyone who lived here would know what that would bring back and mean to the people here.

“Life after Brexit in Ireland could be dangerous for your wellbeing, economically disastrous, bad for farmers. The North will be collateral damage after Brexit. That’s the view I have. They don’t care about us here in Fermanagh. 55.8 per cent rejected Brexit in Northern Ireland, a significant majority and I’d say if you had a poll again it would be even higher. Arlene Foster and Theresa May don’t have a mandate to represent the North on Brexit.”