Brexit is for all ages

Sir Vince Cable thinks that, when it comes to Brexit, “the old have comprehensively shafted the young”. Given that only last month Sir Vince, 74, was named leader of the Liberal Democrats ahead of candidates including Jo Swinson, 37, he certainly knows a little about the subject. But when it comes to Brexit he is sadly misguided.

Certainly a greater proportion of older people than young voted Leave. But would Sir Vince deny them a say? To do so would be neither liberal, nor democratic.

Instead he might ask himself why more older people voted for Brexit. And the obvious answer is that these are the voters who can themselves remember what life was like before Britain handed increasing chunks of its sovereignty away to Brussels by joining the EU. These are the people who are most looking forward to a restoration of such sovereignty, because they have experience of how much it matters, and how profound has been its loss.

But that does not mean that they alone will appreciate Britain’s resurgent independence when it comes. As Rishi Sunak and his quartet of fellow, young, Tory MPS, point out on the page opposite, re-establishing British sovereignty and embracing the opportunities for national renewal that come with it, is a concept that appeals to all ages, so the sooner it happens the better.