EU Referendum


Tory leadership: Brexit means Brexit


30/06/2016




There is not much to fault with Theresa May's speech:
First, Brexit means Brexit. The campaign was fought, the vote was held, turnout was high, and the public gave their verdict. There must be no attempts to remain inside the EU, no attempts to rejoin it through the back door, and no second referendum. The country voted to leave the European Union, and it is the duty of the Government and of Parliament to make sure we do just that.
Gove was less impressive, offering only "in the next few days" to lay out his plan for the United Kingdom. But behind Gove is the poisonous Dominic Cummings: the two go together. That is not a happy choice.

At least though, we are freed from the possibility of Johnson as Prime Minister. I've not made any secret of my dislike for him, a loathsome creature who has made a career out of lying, and fronted a disastrous "leave" campaign which was centred on a lie. We are well rid of him. 

In the Vote Leave campaign, however, Gove also supported the lie. On that basis alone, he cannot be trusted to manage our exit negotiations. That he is totally opposed to continued participation in the Single Market, in my view, further rules him out.

Perversely, I think the exit negotiations are probably better off in the hands of a "reformed" remainer such as Theresa May. After all, the final arbiter of the settlement is not the Prime Minister, but Parliament. Let those who spoke for a return of Parliamentary sovereignty now hold Parliament's feet to the fire, and demand that it does it job of holding the Executive to account - if it can.

And, on that basis, the best candidate for Conservative Leader seems to be Mrs May.