YP Letters: No hiding place for Theresa May who must accept blame

TOM Richmond is spot on when he says Prime Minister Theresa May can’t blame others for her predicament (The Yorkshire Post, June 12) since it was her decision to call a snap election. To do so, she overturned the Fixed Term Parliaments Act. Why didn’t Mrs May call an election before she triggered Article 50? Had she done so it would have enabled voters to make a clear choice.

Mrs May’s reason for calling the election she claimed was because of the “division in Westminster”. It has been suggested, however, that she hoped to increase her majority when, in fact, she actually decreased former Prime Minister David Cameron’s majority by 16 seats. Speaking outside Downing Street the day after the election, Mrs May made no attempt to apologise or admit that her gamble had failed.

Despite the rise in Jeremy Corbyn’s popularity, the Labour Party remains in opposition, perhaps because some people think that some of his proposals are not economically sustainable, such as the introduction of Baby Bonds and free school meals in the last Labour government, and which were both withdrawn.

Finally, it is all very well for Mrs May to promise to overhaul her leadership style, but the damage is done. Party members and voters feel let down and disillusioned.

From Brian Waddington, Dukes Wharf, Terry Avenue, York.

ALTHOUGH I do not usually agree with the pronouncements of Labour politicians, I do think that Yvette Cooper hit the nail squarely on the head in her call for a cross-party group to lead the Brexit negotiations.

I feel that this is far too important matter to be left to the ideologies of an individual party, especially given the present make up of Parliament. In addition it would be helpful if there were members of the group specifically appointed to represent the views of the four countries of the United Kingdom.

Such a step would mean considerably less hassle, both during and after the negotiations, and would leave the Government free to get on with running this country.

Speaking of Labour politicians, I felt that during the recent election campaign Jeremy Corbyn came across as a decent, sincere, honest person, and although I do not agree with many of his party’s proposals, I can well see why he attracted a large number of uncommitted voters who may well have been put off by Theresa May’s rather bombastic approach.