Lobbying group Tech For UK has garnered the support of nearly 100 tech business owners, many of them small businesses, in their call for a People’s Vote on Brexit.

The group argues in a letter to MPs that the Government’s draft “Withdrawal Agreement and political declaration on leaving the European Union” will not serve the best interests of the UK tech industry. According to Government figures, the tech sector is expanding 2.6 times faster than the rest of the UK economy and employs over 2 million people.

‘Brexit is a dire threat to the UK tech industry,’ the letter says. ‘Leaving the EU’s customs union, single market, Digital Single Market, VAT area, data area and regulatory framework (in whole or part) will tear apart the bedrock on which our industry operates and cause us grave harm.’

The letter has already been signed by major tech founders like Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales as well as small business tech owners including Stephen Johnston, founder of consulting firm Fordcastle and Leigh Carrick-Moore, CEO of employee benefits firm Hello Perks and recruitment company e-search.

Further reading on Brexit

• The best companies to start in a post-Brexit UK
• How to manage the post-Brexit customs process for trading in Europe
• Yanis Varoufakis says Brexit deal is the worst of all possible outcomes

Nigel Green, CEO of financial consultancy deVere Group, speaking to Small Businesses sister publication, Information Age, said Brexit still represents an unknown for UK tech. ‘We won’t know if the Brexit deal is good, bad or ugly for another 10 years,’ he says.

The group says the loss of access to EU funding, such as that which goes into breakthrough innovation such as Horizon2020 are adversely affecting the UK tech industry.

The group have also created a tool where you can send a voice message to your local MP via the Final Say app.

Here’s a list of all the tech business owners who have signed the letter

Other signatories are:

Irfon Watkins, Founder, Dovu

Ben Whately, Co-founder and COO, Memrise

James Whatley, Planning Partner, Ogilvy UK

Jessica Kennedy White at UCL Educate