Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Welby is accused of ‘defeatist’ attitude over Brexit deadline
‘Dr Welby appears to find himself inside in an academic and church bubble where everyone seems to share the same view’
The Archbishop of Canterbury has infuriated Leave voters by rating the chances of the Brexit deadline being hit as “infinitesimally small”.
Dr Welby believes protracted negotiations over Britain’s departure from the EU following last year’s referendum will delay the process beyond Prime Minister Theresa May’s March 2019 completion date.
But Jim Gascoyne, who stood for Ukip in Canterbury and Whitstable at the 2015 general election, has accused the primate of being “defeatist”.
He said: “Such an attitude creates two things. It creates the idea that Remainers can’t come to terms with the decision made by voters at the referendum.
“It also shows that they are defeatist about the process and the potential for achieving it.
“Even though Dr Welby has worked at a high level in the oil industry, he appears to find himself inside in an academic and church bubble where everyone seems to share the same view.”
Mechanic Tom Richards, who works at the Oaten Hill Mews Garage and voted Leave, added: “There’s far too much negativity around the whole Brexit process.
“We voted to leave the European Union and we need to get on with it.”
Dr Welby became the 105th Archbishop of Canterbury in 2013, and has earned a reputation for interventions into matters of politics.
Speaking to BBC radio on the Brexit negotiations on Monday, he said: “There are literally thousands of separate agreements to come to.
“If each one of those has to be argued as a point of confidence on the floor of the House of Commons, the chance of getting this done in what’s now roughly 18 months is infinitesimally small.”
Dr Welby called for a special commission to be set up to examine issues such as the UK’S continued membership of the single market.
He said: “Can the politicians not put at the front of their minds the needs of the United Kingdom to come out with a functional working system for Brexit, and agree that certain things are off the political table and will be decided separately in an expert commission?”
Barton ward Conservative councillor Steve Williams, who voted out, says Dr Welby’s idea of a separate commission to explore the detail of leaving the EU is sensible.
“While I don’t agree with everything he says, he has a right to his opinion,” Cllr Williams said.
“Much of the detail will be worked through by civil servants and having a commission to help alleviate some of the workload would perhaps be wise.
“Parliament does have a huge amount to do over the next 18 months to smooth the path of Britain leaving the EU, the single market, the European Court of Justice and the Customs Union and this should rightly be debated in the commons.
“There are, however, many more issues that are less well known about and less covered in the media that a body such as a commission could help with, alongside the civil service to ensure Britain is ready for its new path in 2019.”