Unnecessary insults

In the heat of political battle, things are often said that should not have been said. In a referendum campaign with so much at stake, it is inevitable that harsh words will be exchanged by both sides, however much they try to maintain a sense of decorum. But there is a pattern of behaviour emerging on the Remain side whereby the integrity of those who wish to leave the EU is questioned and their objectives belittled. This approach, where motives are impugned rather than opinions challenged, was adopted at the weekend by Sir John Major, the former Conservative prime minister. He accused leading figures in the Leave camp of deceit and of “squalid” politics without directly addressing the issues they had raised. Boris Johnson, he said, was a “court jester”.

On Tuesday night on ITV, the Prime Minister joined in. He said voters wanting to leave the EU were “quitters” and “Little Englanders” who do not love their country. Perhaps Mr Cameron is tired after a stamina-sapping campaign, albeit one that he has chosen to spearhead. But such comments are frankly insulting to millions of people who intend to vote to leave by casting their ballot in a referendum which, after all, was called by the Prime Minister himself. Did he imagine when he first announced this plan in 2013 that there would be no one in favour of leaving?

As we report today, Sir John Nott, the defence secretary in the Thatcher government, has suspended his party membership in protest at the way the Prime Minister has handled the Remain campaign. This is a straw in the wind. If Mr Cameron wants to hold the Tories together, he needs to play the ball, not the man.