YP Comment: Brexit to define Britain's future. May reveals her negotiating plan

This is a divided country – the majority in favour of Brexit was marginal – and the tone of the speech suggested the referendum outcome could have been different if Britain’s re-negotiation with the EU had been entrusted to Mrs May and not David Cameron.

Mocked, even ridiculed, for keeping voters in the dark about her intentions, six months of painstaking preparatory work culminated with a statesmanlike and substantive speech which confirmed the view that this PM will be no pushover.

As the Tory leader said, Brexit is a legacy of these times and should be judged by not just the historic vote on June 23 last year but what politicians – and the country at large – make of the decision. In this regard, Donald Trump’s election in America might prove to be a blessing. He’s a deal-maker, and his early endorsement of a trade deal between the USA and the UK, neuters the argument of those politicians and business leaders who believe that membership of the single market remains crucial – such a scenario would, in all probability, leave Britain with even less influence than at present.

Nevertheless, formidable challenges remain. Inflexible in the past, and in denial about growing concerns over migration, will the EU be prepared to reach a reasonable accommodation in Britain on trade without giving encouragement to other nations who wish to repatriate powers from Brussels? What did Mrs May mean when she asserted that no deal could be better than a bad deal? What happens if MPs and peers veto Mrs May’s final settlement when it is put to a vote in Parliament?

That said, Mrs May’s acknowledgement of skills, and the importance of the English regions, was welcome. However the Prime Minister does not need reminding that she will be judged on the final outcome of her negotiations. In this regard, her speech was merely 
the end of the beginning rather than the beginning 
of the end.

Good neighbours

EVEN though there is far greater awareness – locally, regionally and nationally – about loneliness thanks to this newspaper’s award-winning campaign, it’s wrong to assume that it is just the elderly who live in isolation. More than nine million people – one fifth of the population – report that they are always, or often, lonely as younger generations begin to realise that Twitter followers, or social media navel-gazing, are no substitute for real friends.

This issue is given added credence by a new report by the Co-op on the decline of neighbourliness. Though it is gratifying to know that households in Sheffield are the most hospitable, there are other areas where people are barely on nodding terms with those living in neighbouring properties. Why is this and can anything be done?

It’s worth remembering, for example, that the elderly can be a God-send when it comes to taking in parcels delivered during the day. Most are only too happy to do so – the knock on the door might be their only conversation of the day – while all they expect in return is a word of ‘thanks’ and assurance that someone will keep an eye on them. It’s not too much to ask, is it?

Yorkshire prides itself on its hospitality. The challenge now is making the county the most neighbourly in 
the land.

Quiet dignity of Claudia’s family

OUR thoughts are with the family of Claudia Lawrence as police scale back their inquiry into the disappearance of the York chef who vanished without trace nearly eight years ago. Their dignity was remarkable as detectives undertook the most complex missing persons’ investigation in the history of the North Yorkshire force.

Yet, while it is imperative that the police pursue any new lines of inquiry that do come to light, it is also important that Ministers embrace ‘Claudia’s Law’ which Thirsk and Malton MP Kevin Hollinrake put before Parliament last week. Like relatives of all missing people, the Lawrence family’s torment has been compounded by an inability to manage their daughter’s financial affairs because of the inflexibility of officialdom. As Mr Lawrence said: “Banks, insurance companies, mortgage lenders, all say, ‘We can’t accept your instructions, as you’re not our customer’.” How long must he put up with this state of affairs?