YP Letters: Leave vote is sacrificed to preserve Mrs May's job as PM

Dominic Raab, the new Brexit Secretary, in talks with his EU counterpart Michel Barnier.

I WONDER whether Dominic Raab’s polemic (The Yorkshire Post, July 23) was written for him by his own Ministry, DExEU, or by Olly Robbins’ EU unit at No.10.

He claims “at Chequers earlier this month, the Cabinet set out its blueprint for Brexit”. No, it didn’t. Not even the then-Minister for DExEU, David Davis, knew what was in the White Paper before Theresa May sprung it on the Cabinet. That’s why Mr Davis, Steve Baker, and Boris Johnson resigned – they’d been double-crossed. But, apparently, Mr Raab hasn’t noticed yet.

Unlike Mrs May, Mr Raab hasn’t quite got the gall to claim that we will be leaving the single market, the customs union and the jurisdiction of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU). Presumably that is because the executive summary of the WP clearly states that “the UK would make an upfront choice to commit by treaty to ongoing harmonisation with the relevant EU rules”; and a “customs arrangement ... between the UK and the EU... as if they were a combined customs territory”. The EU and the CJEU have been explicit that the final arbiter of EU rules is the CJEU, so we would be back under the jurisdiction of the EU’s courts too. It certainly isn’t taking back control of our laws, as Mr Raab claims.

There have been 11 major referendums in the UK in the last 50 years. Every one has been fully obeyed and implemented, except for the 2016 referendum. The reality of Mr Raab’s position is that he is willing to sacrifice our Leave vote, our democracy and the long-term prosperity of the UK as an independent nation, merely in a vain attempt to preserve Mrs May as Prime Minister. It is shameful.

From: R Hartley, Shadwell Lane, Leeds.

WE Brexiteers are not portraying ourselves as downtrodden victims – merely telling the truth as it was! We are the ones with courage and optimism to be able to envisage a future without being burdened with petty EU diktats from countries that we freed from Nazi oppression at great cost to our people.

From: Paul Muller, Woodthorpe Gardens, Sandal, Wakefield.

WE are now the Disunited Kingdom of Great Britain. We are in the middle of a civil war of words, lies and hatred for each other; particularly among our MPs. Whatever the outcome of the negotiations with the other 27 nations in Europe, we will still be a Disunited Kingdom.