Ousted MP Mary Creagh was right to defy Wakefield voters over Brexit

Mary Creagh (right) after she lost the Wakefield seat to Imran Ahmad Khan on election night.

THERE are many reasons Labour lost the election but please not the much-parroted reason that MPs like Mary Creagh were ousted because they ignored the wishes of their Brexit-voting constituents (Terry Palmer, The Yorkshire Post, January 3).

Defeated MP Mary Creagh should own up to her Brexit betrayal in Wakefield before blaming Jeremy Corbyn – Yorkshire Post Letters

Look at the evidence. Supporting the Government by voting in line with her constituents’ wishes did Don Valley MP Caroline Flint no good. She lost her seat. Dennis Skinner was a consistent opponent of the EEC and then EU but his Leave-voting constituents showed no gratitude. He lost in Bolsover.

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York Outer voted to remain in the EU. Our MP Julian Sturdy voted to leave. I voted for an MP as a representative to, hopefully, think about issues before voting. I do not expect my MP to act as a mandated delegate, even if I wish he saw things more my way!

Even back to the 18th century it was established by the great Conservative politician Edmund Burke that there is no constitutional reason why MPs should always vote in line with their constituents’ wishes. Tony Benn, who promoted the first referendum on remaining in the then EEC and campaigned to leave, was quite firm on this.

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From: John Cole, Oakroyd Terrace, Baildon, Shipley.

AMONG the politically incorrect the Irish, as a people, are sometimes held up as unintelligent and uninformed. However, truth be told, the Emerald Isle not only has a great cultural heritage but contains much quiet wisdom.

The other day, walking through Leeds, a young lady called out to me “I like your shirt” and I realised I was displaying my ‘Bradford for Europe’ T-shirt with its 12 gold stars.

I spoke to the young lady – one of two – and it turned out that they were both Irish. They were very happy that the Irish Republic was a member of the EU. They could not understand why the UK was engaged on the self-destructive course of leaving the EU and were glad that organisations like ‘Bradford For Europe’ and ‘Leeds for Europe’ were still flying the flag for the EU.

Sometimes it takes an outsider, watching our Brexit debacle from the sidelines, to give a wise and informed comment on our situation.

From: Henry Cobden, Ilkley.

DAN Jarvis MP (The Yorkshire Post, January 6) shows the statecraft that Labour needs. He should be standing for the party leadership.

Ousted MP Mary Creagh was right to defy Wakefield voters over Brexit – Yorkshire Post Letters