Stand up for justice

"There is no one reason why people voted Leave or Remain," said Gina Miller. "The Leavers believed the politicians. They believed what they were told and they felt ignored. We had become lazy and too comfortable. I would like to thank them, for they shed a light where we forgot to look."

For 20 years a campaigner in the charity sector, Miller came to prominence when she successfully took the British government to the Supreme Court, challenging its authority to trigger Article 50 ("a very badly drafted piece of legislation"). It is thanks to her efforts that PM Theresa May has to the withdrawal bill back to Parliament.

"But this is only the end of the beginning," she said. "There is much worse to come. May is a bully – she's saying it's either this deal or no deal."

"We are in the most peculiar times," she continued. Asked if she was in favour of a People's Vote, she said that could only happen if it was gifted by MPs, and time was running out. "But it would be better for the country to have a People's Vote than a General Election."

Miller was born in British Guyana and came to UK at age 11, when her mother and father deposited her at a boarding school in Eastbourne on the south coast of England. When her parents ran of money in Guyana, following currency restrictions, she managed to stay on at school. Gina dressed up in charity-shop clothes to look older than she was, and worked as a chambermaid before school and at weekends to support her brother and herself.

It is an example of her steely character, and her determination neverto give up. When she was bullied at school, her response was to give a precious gift to the ringleader in order that they might be friends.

"I was born strong and I'm able to take on the bullying and hatred and turn it around. You take in negative energy and you direct it. I don't just listen to the words of hate; I try to ignore the superficial hate; a lot of it comes from discontent. I can ignore hate."

Her book Rise! is a heartfelt cry to stand up for justice, and for yourself, whatever the cost.