A howl of anger – now vain MPs must listen

IT came not with a whisper, but a full-throated roar. An immense howl of anger, exasperation and derision at a pathetic political elite failing abysmally in its key task: To deliver Brexit.

In every corner of the country the Tories and Labour received a resounding pasting at the ballot box from an electorate sick to death of being treated like fools.

Overwhelmingly, the British public are pragmatic, tolerant and moderate. Not for them the anarchy of gilets jaunes protesters bringing chaos and violence to the streets of Paris in the face of unlistening leaders.

But in their frustration and fury, thousands of men and women trooped to polling stations to defiantly spoil their ballot papers, scribbling slogans including ‘Traitors’ and ‘Brexit betrayal’. Who could honestly blame them?

Unsurprisingly, the two main parties haemorrhaged support as voters inflicted a plague on both their houses.

Perhaps we should give the politicians, cloistered in Westminster, a quick recap?

In June 2016, a staggering 17.4million people voted to leave the EU – the biggest democratic mandate in UK history. Ambitiously and courageously, they chose to cast off the sclerotic bloc’s manacles and stride out into the world – a truly sovereign nation.

Despite the shock result, both parties solemnly vowed to enact the electorate’s will.

Three years on, our out- oftouch, arrogant Parliament has shamefully failed. Instead of acting in the national interest, MPs have wasted time posturing, squabbling and navel-gazing.

On Thursday, voters had the first opportunity to display displeasure at their monumental betrayal. And didn’t the politicians receive a painful comeuppance!

The revenge was brutal. The Tories lost more than 1,300 seats and 40 councils – swept away on a terrible wave of rage and resentment, a chilling echo of the dark days of John Major’s ‘back to basics’.

On the day Margaret Thatcher topped a poll for the UK’s greatest prime minister, Theresa May was forced to plead with activists that she understood the ‘simple message… get on and deliver Brexit’.

Yet traditional Tory voters are understandably wary. They are aghast she is negotiating with Jeremy Corbyn and toying with a soft Brexit that could chain us indefinitely to Brussels. Amid the dysfunctional Government, with untimely sackings and questionable Russian donations, one senior Tory backbencher pointed out that if the Conservatives don’t sharpen up swiftly, they will be ‘ toast’. True, but he should remember that if his Brexiteer ultras had backed Mrs May’s deal, the party wouldn’t be on the brink of destruction.

One silver lining for Mrs May was the absence of other proBrexit parties ( Ukip’s racist rabble doesn’t count).

But troublingly, the tsunami may be about to break. In three weeks’ time, Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party will fight the European elections, making huge gains at Tory expense on its popular antiEstablishment ticket. Surely Mrs May and her supporters won’t – like nonchalant sunbathers on a tropical beach – foolishly dismiss the amplifying roar and gathering storm clouds?

For crumbs of comfort from their woes, the Tories need look no further than Jeremy Corbyn, who had a disastrous night. His chief henchman John McDonnell had confidently predicted Labour gaining 400 seats. Within 24 hours, the smirk was wiped off his face as they lost dozens.

Nine years into an increasingly unpopular Tory Government, this was a calamitous result. So much for their boasts of marching into Downing Street!

Unsurprisingly, Mr Corbyn’s risible policy of ‘constructive ambiguity’ – or sitting on the fence – was blamed.

Desperate to avoid alienating Leave voters in the party’s heartlands or metropolitan Remain supporters, he opted, Janus-like, to face both ways – and repelled both camps.

Beyond his band of hard-Left cranks, class warriors and poundshop Marxists, Mr Corbyn is, canvassers were told, poison on the doorstep.

Sensible, hard-working people clearly see an anti-Semitic, terror sympathiser, who sides with Britain’s enemies, would jeopardise security and drive the economy into a ditch. Accordingly, they give him a wide berth.

The night’s biggest winners were the Liberal Democrats – picking up 700 seats. Some voters were wooed by promises of a second referendum, but others, surely, treated it as an old-fashioned protest vote.

One thing is clear. The potency of the electorate stands in stark contrast to the impotency of our hapless politicians. They have been sent a clear message: We want to leave the EU.

In the real world, where families have jobs and mortgages that rely on a stable government, they just want a sensible resolution.

Yet there is a path through the crisis. A deal exists that lets us quit while regaining control of our money, laws and borders. For the Remainers, it promises close alignment with EU trading rules and 21 months when nothing changes. Myopic Tory MPs must now see the writing on the wall. Their party faces obliteration. Is it too much to hope that, even at this late stage, they back Mrs May’s agreement – even if only to save their own skins.

If the public’s wishes continue to be blithely disregarded by a political elite that thinks it knows best, the howl of anger will become deafening.