Delaying Brexit would be a wholesale betrayal of the Conservatives’ manifesto promises
SIR – We are dedicated association chairmen and officers of the Conservative Party. Due to our beliefs in Conservative values and our loyalty to our party we have happily raised funds, organised campaigns, knocked on doors and delivered thousands upon thousands of leaflets.
In 2017 Conservative MPs were elected on a manifesto promising that Britain would exit the single market, customs union and the overrule of the European Court of Justice. It promised that the result of the 2016 referendum would be honoured and Brexit delivered. If necessary, it stated, no deal was better than a bad deal. If we fail to honour that manifesto now, it will be a breach of trust with voters and party members. We are therefore greatly concerned by suggestions that Brexit may be delayed, and that a practical consequence of this would be the need for a European election campaign in Britain in May 2019.
Following the historic defeat of her Withdrawal Agreement, the Prime Minister is discussing the way forward with leaders from other parties. The suggestion of remaining in a customs union is rumoured to still be on the table. This would take away the Brexit prize of striking trade deals around the world and would not deliver on the referendum result or our manifesto pledges. It would break our bond with voters and risk a Corbyn government.
Britain must leave the EU on March 29 2019. To break faith with the British people would be a dereliction of duty and threaten the future of the Conservative Party.
Dinah Glover
Chairman, London East Area Chairman, Bethnal Green and Bow Conservative Association Cllr Mike Fairhurst
Chairman, Havant Conservative Association Cllr Anthony Owen
Chairman, Orpington Conservative Association Cllr Gary Etheridge
Chairman, Rochester and Strood Conservative Association and 47 others; see telegraph.co.uk SIR – I recently received a form from the Electoral Commission. On the back was the slogan “Your vote matters”.
Really? David Gilbert
Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire
SIR – After two years of unstinting effort to reach a deal with the EU that satisfies both sides, and following her defeat in the Commons, Theresa May should accept that she has tried and failed honourably – and resign.
The Government is officially bound to deliver Brexit, and the Conservative Party should choose a new leader who genuinely believes in doing so.
Those Remainers in and outside the Cabinet should stop their insidious attempts to thwart Brexit, and put the national interest above their own vanity and the demands of big business. Jeremy Willings
Midhurst, West Sussex
SIR – Businesses don’t like uncertainty, so why are they afraid of an orderly no-deal Brexit? If we leave on World Trade Organisation terms, then they will have certainty. The
8 per cent that export to Europe might not be too keen, but the other 92 per cent will probably be delighted to be free of restrictive EU rules and regulations.
Uncertainty is guessing how long it will take to get withdrawal terms agreed, then arranging a trade agreement with the 27 EU nations. And what kind of agreement will we end up with? That’s uncertain too. Peter Gascoigne
Dibden Purlieu, Hampshire
SIR – By insisting that a no-deal Brexit be taken off the table, politicians show a woeful ignorance about how the world works.
Anybody who has done any business negotiations will tell them that the golden rule to a successful outcome is to be prepared to walk away from a bad deal. Nick Brazil
Reading, Berkshire