Disheartening cacophony in the Cabinet does not bode well for Brexit
sir – Boris Johnson’s description of the Cabinet as a “nest of singing birds” (report, September 20) is remarkably – perhaps unintentionally – apt.
The cacophony of nestlings is far more reminiscent of juvenile squabbling than a chorus in harmony. Anne Cranfield
Heathfield, East Sussex
sir – Following the disastrous general election last June, Theresa May said that she had learnt her lesson on the danger of relying on a small clique of advisers at the expense of involving the whole Cabinet in decision-making.
However, it seems that she has already forgotten that lesson, having seemingly replaced her advisers, Nick Timothy and Fiona Hill, with the First Secretary of State, Damian Green, and the Home Secretary, Amber Rudd, while keeping the same isolationist method of control.
This has been demonstrated in the drafting of her forthcoming speech in Florence this Friday, in which she will set out the Government’s vision for future trade and relationships with Europe and the rest of the world following Brexit. You have to question why, in the drafting of a speech about foreign affairs, trade and Brexit, the views of the Home Secretary should take precedence over those of the Foreign Secretary, the International Trade Secretary and the Brexit Secretary. Paul Lewis
Edinburgh
sir – For 45 years the British establishment has capitulated to the EU. Voters recognise this, and it is one reason why the Leave vote prevailed in June’s referendum last year.
Your report (September 20) that Theresa May is “preparing to offer the EU £20 billion in budget contributions until at least 2020” shows that the Government still hasn’t grasped the lesson. Brexit negotiated by Remainers is, unsurprisingly, turning into a disaster. Nick Martinek
Huddersfield, West Yorkshire sir – My political outlook is global, socially liberal and fiscally conservative.
I recoil in horror at the present state of the Tories, particularly Boris Johnson and his fellow Brexit knuckleheads. For whom do I vote now? Nick Judd
Kersey, Suffolk
sir – Boris Johnson seems to polarise voters, both Tory and non-tory. May I just say that he was an exceptionally popular and “hands-on” MP in his Henley-on-thames constituency, where I lived for 20 years.
He is bright and measured, he listens and he believes in a freemarket economy with limited state intervention. He is the last true Conservative speaking up for everyone, regardless of background. He also is exceptionally kind and capable of acts of generosity which do not reach the public domain.
Dr Alistair A Donald
Watlington, Oxfordshire