Andrea JENKYNS

It would be a failure of our party if only candidates who backed the deal were put forward to members

It’s hard to recall a moment in my lifetime when there was such a divide between politicians and the public. A huge majority see the Government’s handling of Brexit as a national humiliation. The voters think Parliament is seeking to block Brexit, and I don’t blame them. And the Prime Minister apparently wants to bring her Withdrawal Agreement back to the Commons for a third time in a desperate effort to get this terrible deal over the line – if the Speaker allows it.

I respect colleagues who have changed their mind and have decided they would back the PM’S deal if it returns, though it should be pointed out that their support is often heavily caveated. Nobody has woken up and suddenly realised that a toxic agreement which will consign the UK to a state of vassalage – betraying the voters who were told they could take back control of their money, borders and laws – is actually a good one. Some Brexiteers think there are no better options left and fear that a Remaindominated Parliament will stop Brexit entirely. Others may have different calculations. I will continue to oppose the deal for the simple reason that it does not represent Brexit in any meaningful sense and it locks the UK in as a rule-taker.

What we share, however, is a view that the negotiations cannot continue as they have done. The country and the party desperately need new leadership that will put Britain’s interests first. We can’t keep kowtowing to the European Union, acceding to its every demand while cutting ourselves off from the opportunities of Brexit. We need a new leader – a Leave supporter – and a strong new direction, as well as, possibly, a general election. Thankfully, if the PM goes soon, we may now get all of this.

But I worry that in the coming leadership contest it will not be possible to bridge the divide between the politicians in Westminster and the public. It has been clear for some time that party members – and many constituents – do not share the leadership’s view on Brexit, let alone that of Remainers in Parliament.

At surgery after surgery, I’ve had people come up to me and entreat me not to vote for the deal. While I was eating at a local Italian restaurant, the chef came out and asked me to keep fighting. I only have a small local membership, since my seat was previously Labour for 85 years. But I was recently sent an email by a family of six Tory members who had decided to cut up their membership cards in protest at the way the Prime Minister has handled Brexit. I managed to convince them to stay, but it is fair to say that Conservatives up and down the country do not feel that their party represents them at the moment.

So it is crucial that in the leadership election these people’s voices are heard. We cannot see a repeat of last time, when Mrs May became leader by default. Nor can we allow MPS in Westminster to stitch up the process by only permitting members to vote on a choice between two Remainers, or two pro-deal politicians.

Currently the system makes MPS the gatekeepers, and they whittle down leadership candidates to a final two who members are meant to select between. It would be completely against the spirit of this democratic age if politicians stop the people they represent from making a clear choice, with a Brexiteer on the ballot, especially when the stakes are so high for the future of our country.

I have suggested previously that members should be able to put a third candidate on the ballot themselves. Others may have different ideas for reform. But the key principle must be to trust the people – as we were meant to have done with Brexit. There is no danger of a Momentum-style takeover of the party, as some have offensively suggested. There is nothing extremist, after all, about opposing the Prime Minister’s deal and wanting the UK to leave the EU. It would surely be reinvigorating if the party gave members a real say in how it is run.

Quite simply, things cannot go on as they have done. People are losing faith in our political system and are at risk of losing faith in democracy itself. The anger in the country is unbelievable, and understandable. After the failures of the past few years, the last thing we should do now is fail the people again.