'This area is particularly vulnerable' - business owners join 'People's Vote' campaign

All 119 businesses have written to their MPs to demand a so-called 'people's vote', along with thousands from across the UK.

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Among business owners to sign up to the campaign is Norah Raymond, who owns The Dog Spa Ltd in Pontllanfraith, which specialises in hydrotherapy for dogs, along with dog grooming, training and boarding.

Norah Raymond

Mrs Raymond has said she has seen her business decrease in recent months, and claims this is caused by Brexit.

“We’ve been watching our kennel bookings drop off for a while now," she said.

"People are uncertain about their own jobs, so they are saving money by holidaying in the UK rather than taking a fortnight abroad.

"Usually we would be full until the end of October, but now we have gaps.

"We had planned to take on another full-time person, but we just can’t risk it now.”

She added: “A very high percentage of what is produced his Wales is exported.

“If you can’t export what you are producing because it has tariffs on it, then jobs are going to be lost.

“This area is particularly vulnerable to this and so are we because, when people have less money, other sorts of spending get priority.”

In Monmouthshire, which voted remain in 2016 - albeit by a margin of just 50.4 per cent to 49.6 per cent - eight businesses have joined the campaign.

The area's Conservative MP, David Davies, a vocal pro-Brexiteer, said: "We had a "people's vote" in 2016 and the people of Wales and of the UK voted to leave.

David Davies

"We had another "people's vote" in the 2017 General Election, and the people voted overwhelmingly for MPs from both Labour and the Conservative Party who said that they would carry out the instruction that they had been given by the people in 2016.

"There is no point in MPs holding further referendums because they don't like the answer they were given. If we had another referendum MPs have already said that they would take no notice of the result if there was another vote to leave."

But his counterpart in Newport West, Labour's Ruth Jones, welcomed the appeal.

Ruth Jones

She said: "The uncertainty of Brexit is now affecting businesses and families and we need to take it back to the people for a confirmatory vote in order to move things forward.

"The other crucial part of any people’s vote is preventing the UK crashing out of the EU without a deal. We have legislated against this and I intend to hold the current prime minister to account to ensure that he does not break the law again.”