Deborah Meaden refuses to be ‘bullied into silence’ on Brexit

The star of the BBC’s Dragon’s Den programme is one of the country’s leading entrepreneurs, having worked and invested in business since leaving college at the age of 19.

In the last month the businesswoman has been taking to Twitter to give a brutal verdict on Brexit, even taking down Jacob Rees-Mogg in the process.

Meaden revealed on social media that she had decided to become more vocal about Brexit a month ago after she ‘realised the extent of lies, illegal activity, prospect of No Deal, [and the] effect it is already having on peoples lives’.

She added: ‘I thought I had to stand up and be counted… not be scared or bullied into silence. That way I can sleep at night’.

However her views have made difficult reading for some Brexiteers, with the star admitting that her comments on Brexit may have been ‘too taxing’ for some that were unfollowing her as a result.

Meaden has refuted claims that she is only speaking out for her own benefit, explaining that she ‘won’t be the one hurt by Brexit’ and that ‘the people who can least sustain the economic downturn’ are the ones that will be.

In a hard-hitting response to a Leaver that urged her to ‘accept’ the Brexit vote she said that ‘thinking positively’ simply would not cut it.

‘I can’t support something that I think is going to be immensely harmful to my country and I also don’t believe ‘thinking positive’ is going to cut it. Brexit could be #breaksit as far as I’m concerned. I do agree we need an alternative vision but within the EU’.

As well as representing the views of SMEs in tweets she has also taken down the arch-Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg, warning him that the affects on business are already being felt, and that it will take ‘decades’ to recover.

WATCH: leading businessman & Dragon's Den star @DuncanBannatyne said 'I'm out' to the EU in 2016. But now he's joining fellow dragon @DeborahMeaden in saying yes to a #PeoplesVote on the final Brexit deal.

Everybody needs to see this. Please RT: pic.twitter.com/3Vk8jN5Lia
— People's Vote UK (@peoplesvote_uk) August 9, 2018

‘They are already seeing the negative effects… No prophecies needed. Right here, right now. But I’m talking about the SMEs, you know, the good people in the middle. Their lives their families’.

Meaden isn’t the only Dragon’s Den star to become more vocal over Brexit.

Leading businessman Duncan Bannatyne, who backed Leave in the 2016 referendum, has come out in support of a People’s Vote.

Responding to a tweet asking for his views on Brexit he said: ‘I think [we] should have a second referendum’.

https://twitter.com/DeborahMeaden/status/1026902926281900032

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