Conservative leader and Brexit
Dear Sir,
David Cameron resigned because he campaigned to remain in the EU. He rightly believed that the next leader should head a team of leave conservative MPs. To elect a remain candidate - Theresa May - would be totally contradictory to the outgoing prime minister's belief. Indeed, totally contradictory to the country’s vote to leave and equally totally contradictory to the Conservative Party.
Should Ms. May be elected, it will make the Conservative Party look like incompetent fools before the country.
A subsequent general election will then see the country return a Labour government, should they have elected a new charismatic leader, who voted to leave. I wanted Boris Johnson to be the new leader. It has to be a leader who voted and campaigned to leave.
It must not be a leader who voted to remain. That is totally wrong. Michael Gove must be supported wholeheartedly for the leadership of the Conservatives. Another woman prime minister will be completely disastrous for the party and the country.
Yours sincerely,
F.S. Jessop
Grantham
Dear Sir,
In Sunday’s Looking Around, Ray Fleming suggests a re-run of the EU referendum when I presume he hopes for a switch from Brexit to remain voting (personally I prefer the more salacious acronym EURIN). The referendum was called for by David Cameron and his inner cabinet. This has never been voted on by parliament. Prior to this, the pro-EU had a majority in the Commons and so a remain confirmation via a referendum was not necessary.
The remain still has a majority in the Commons and so a second referendum is also not necessary. Never mind that "the people have spoken": they did not vote so much on Europe but more discontent with parliament and its inmates. In any event, Westminster ignores public opinion when it suits. This week the Chilcot Report will show another example of this over ex-PM Tony Blair’s handling of the Iraq War.
The UK could follow the example of the other EU countries who have "suffered" an exit vote. Holland and France simply ignored the vote and Ireland said they’d repeat referendums until the vote went remain.
MPs could follow the example of Michael Gove. He said he had a constitutional obligation to protect the national interest never mind that Boris or that "the people have spoken".
Mike Lillico
Playa de Palma