Jacob Rees-Mogg role confirms folly of Brexit – Yorkshire Post Letters

WHAT was Jayne Adye, of Get Britain Out, hoping to achieve with her letter focusing on the appointment of Jacob Rees-Mogg as “Minister for Brexit Opportunities” (PM must ensure the Government finally delivers on Brexit, The Yorkshire Post, February 15)?

It just seemed to be a Eurosceptic telling us nothing’s been achieved as a result of the 2016 referendum or 2019 “Get Brexit Done” General Election – and probably nothing will be because of conflicts between Downing Street neighbours at numbers 10 and 11.

Brexit’s been worse than a waste of time, then.

Ms Adye’s anti-EU rants here didn’t do her cause any favours. I’ll add it to the mounting pile of examples of advocates admitting to or seeking out excuses for Brexit’s failure.

Surprisingly, it’s probably Sir Keir Starmer who’s done Mr Rees-Mogg and Boris Johnson a much greater favour in the last few days by claiming “there is no case for rejoining the European Union”.

Of course there is and most Labour supporters would back such a move. It was disappointing to see the party leader seemingly engage in the cynical calculation and gamble he can retain our support and appeal to anti-EU
voters too. He risks being disappointed on both counts.

Don’t get me wrong. I’ll almost certainly end up voting Labour at the next General Election. There are many other reasons to want rid of these public school “partygaters”. But Labour will have only itself to blame if there’s a lack of enthusiasm come election time because it missed an obvious opportunity to develop a positive position and coherent strategy to Brexit and our country’s relationship with European neighbours.

Brexit is rapidly unravelling, taking with it vestiges of the Conservative Party’s reputation for economic and business competence. It ought to make the task of presenting the Labour Party as a fiscally sound, credible alternative much easier for Leeds West MP and Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves than it was for Gordon Brown in the 1990s. The only real Brexit opportunities are probably political ones for the Labour Party. A shame not to capitalise on them, then.

From: Jack Dowson, Guiseley.

THE whingeing campaign group Leeds for Europe is a misnomer – most people in the city accept Brexit, for good and bad, and believe the priority is getting the economy back on track. It’s time they accepted this.

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