MPs are delivering Brexit – Labour must get on board

Labour must be careful not to be embroiled with those who wish to reverse the result of the EU referendum by telling the electorate to vote again in a manner reminiscent of Marie Antoinette’s telling the French people to eat cake. Marie Antoinette had her head chopped off at the guillotine; Labour will be slaughtered at the polls.

The 2016 referendum gave parliament one simple task: get the UK out of the EU. So far it has done its job. Article 50 has been triggered, the EU Withdrawal Act has been passed and a date set for leaving the EU. For a parliament with a majority on the Remain side, this is truly impressive. If MPs fail to complete the task by ensuring we leave on 29 March next year, and Labour has a central role to play in this, the whole Westminster setup will be brought into disrepute. People’s revenge will be subtle, but it may not be pretty.

It should come as no surprise to anyone that the proposed withdrawal agreement leaves a number of loose ends or that its accompanying political declaration is couched in inspirational language but they do not constitute a reason to reject the deal. The purpose of a deal at this stage is to provide us with the best possible start after we leave the EU. After more than 40 years of being entrapped within the EU and its institutions, it’ll not be possible to break out in one single giant leap; at the present time, a deal is but a first step, not the end result.

Fawzi Ibrahim London NW2

Why waste more time?

If, as seems almost certain, neither May’s deal nor a no-deal Brexit will get sufficient support in the Commons, why waste more time in useless politicking? Why not have the parliamentary vote next week? If parliament then concludes that the only way out of the impasse is a second referendum with a simple choice of leaving the EU on May’s terms or remaining, then at least we have a plan.

A second referendum certainly does not need another 10 weeks of campaigning. Those with fixed views will vote as they did before; those on either side, who have taken an intelligent interest in the debate and have now changed their mind, do not need any more hot air from campaigners and the press. We will make our choice, the vote may well again be close, but no one can then argue that the public was illinformed.

Please let us now just get on with it, so that governments both here and in the EU can get back to the important business of tackling serious domestic problems.

Gavin Turner Norfolk

Pressing questions need answers

Instead of appearing on BBC 5 to answer a few questions, wouldn’t it be better for the prime minister to answer the public call for a final say on her Brexit deal with the EU? It is also imperative to know whether Brexit would lead to more antisemitism, Islamophobia, nationalism, populism, racial, discrimination, xenophobia and afrophobia? And why does she use European citizens as a bargaining chip in her negotiations with the EU?

Dr Munjed Farid Al Qutob London NW2 Listen to the people

The prime minister rejects a second referendum on the basis that the first one must be respected. If the House of Commons rejects her Brexit deal, will she similarly respect this vote too and deny any rerun? As they have had longer to reflect upon their original decision, it is the people and not parliament who should be allowed a second vote.

Peter Mendenhall Nottingham

A worrying issue

That 22 per cent of young women aged 17 to 19 have an emotional disorder is yet more evidence of a growing crisis in girls’ and young women’s mental health.

This serious and accelerating deterioration should concern us all.

It is not enough to blame body image and social media. While they are rightly cited as possible explanations, they are not the full story.

The sexualisation of girls, the pressures they face around sex and particularly the alarming levels of sexual and other forms of violence they experience must be a key part of the conversation.

It is important to recognise the different drivers and experiences of poor mental health among girls and boys so that we can respond appropriately.

It is vital we see investment in mental health support that takes into account girls’ needs and experiences, including the impact of violence and abuse, in both schools and the community to ensure they get the support they need, when they need it.

Jemima Olchawski Chief executive of Agenda, the alliance for women and girls at risk

We all have the right to die when we want

I agree with Angela Washington (“It’s time to rethink our national position on assisted dying”, Letters, Thursday) that the time for legislation on assisted dying is overdue. But is it not time to extend this to cover those who are not terminally ill?

It should be recognised that not all of us find life wonderful. Some, maybe even a majority of people who take their own lives, do it for rational reasons. How much better it would be for all concerned if they could plan their exit and “go gentle into that good night”.

We should all be able to imagine circumstances where we would no longer wish to be here, perhaps as the

result of a terrible lifechanging event. Someone jailed for life, for good reason, might like to opt to end it if allowed to go with dignity.

We can admire those who survive adversity and have great lives thereafter, but those who have had enough of life should be respected and not expected to accept that things will get better for them. We all die.

Carol Wilcox Christchurch