As Boris Johnson threatened that those who vote against him this week will not be allowed to stand as Conservatives in the next election (Johnson ready to sacrifice majority by withdrawing whip from rebels, 2 September), Tory rebels said that if it is country versus party then they will choose country.
This is a commendable sentiment from Philip Hammond, David Gauke and others, but it is a false choice. There are numerous historical examples when political “rebels” shortly thereafter come back to take leadership positions, while those who followed the official line are consigned to the political wilderness. Winston Churchill is the clearest example of this. And Barack Obama beat Hillary Clinton for the 2008 Democratic party nomination because she voted to support the Iraq war.
Given the economic disaster that will follow a no-deal Brexit, it will be government members who will struggle to hold their seats in the next election. If Jeremy Corbyn wins, the next Tory leaders will come from the rebels, not from those currently in power. And if the rebels enable the UK to avoid no deal, they will be in line with the majority of the public. So while Nigel Farage and his fellow travellers will be screaming from the sides, the rebel Tory MPs will be well placed to recreate the “one-nation” Conservative party that (as members of the Johnson government themselves stated recently) is essential for its future electability.
Dr Charles Enoch
St Antony’s College, Oxford
• On Monday I watched a series of TV interviews in which ministers attempted to justify the threats to withdraw the whip from any Tory MP who voted to prevent a no-deal Brexit and possibly to deselect them in the event of a general election. The argument is that the government has a right to expect the loyalty of its party’s MPs. What those ministers fail to acknowledge is that while it might be reasonable to expect loyalty from MPs elected on the basis of a party manifesto of which a no-deal Brexit was a part, that is not the case – the last Tory manifesto contained no such proposal.
So there is no mandate for no deal and the unelected prime minister’s personal mandate does not go beyond the 90,000 Tory members who voted for him as leader.
Alan Healey
Shrewsbury, Shropshire
• Jeremy Corbyn is rightfully itching to take on Boris Johnson in a general election. Indeed, the Labour leader is at his best on the campaign trail, focusing on those other issues so wilfully neglected these past three years, as Labour’s results in 2017 demonstrated. Yet the shadow Brexit minister, Jenny Chapman, and others are also right to argue that stopping no deal must come first (Corbyn ‘delighted’ at talk of election, 3 September) and resist the temptation of a snap election.
Labour should hold its nerve and exhaust all the legislative processes in parliament until an increasingly beleaguered prime minister and his hard Brexiters are denied any escape routes to the 31 October deadline.
Paul Dolan
Northwich, Cheshire
• It is possible that Boris may win an election with the opposition vote split. The Tories may lose some seats to the Liberal Democrats in strong remain areas, but Labour is unlikely to achieve a swing against the Conservatives in many seats. It needs a Lib-Lab pact.
But fear of Jeremy Corbyn could deter voters from voting Lib Dem if it will deliver him to Downing Street, unless Labour and the Lib Dems agree a limited-purpose pact. The Lib Dems and the SNP should support Corbyn only in order for him to call a second referendum. After that, they do not commit to support him and further negotiations would be required. This pact would require Jo Swinson and Corbyn to swallow their pride, but it is the only way Boris will be defeated. And by God he needs to be.
Jonathan Porteous
Petersfield, Hampshire
• Thank you for the list of Tory MPs prepared to place the good of the nation above their own personal status (Tory rebels: MPs risking expulsion, 3 September). It gladdens the heart to know there are still some people with this rare quality.
Rick Kempster
Waterlooville, Hampshire
• Regarding the deselection threat, there would be nothing to stop those deselected from standing as unofficial Tory candidates, thus splitting the Tory vote in those constituencies and probably handing the seat to one of the other candidates. As a confirmed remainer, I would happily make a contribution to the deposits of those deselected.
Brian Donnelly
London
• Seeing Boris Johnson trying to be heard over protesters’ voices at Downing Street on Monday evening reminded me of 22 December 1989 in Bucharest, when the baying crowd forced Nicolae Ceaușescu to escape by helicopter.
Stuart Carter
West Kirby, Wirral
• I am an adviser with Citizens Advice. On Monday I helped an EU citizen apply for settled status using the app on his Android phone. I can reassure Professor Paul Brain (Letters, 2 September) on one thing: the app accepts non-biometric ID cards. You can complete the application in full. The applicant has to post the ID card to an address given by the app using recorded delivery. It is returned later.
Martyn Evans
Cockermouth, Cumbria
• Having read (Expected fallout, from cards and pets to passports, 2 September) that the government had issued definitive advice on its “Get ready for Brexit” website, I logged on to drink deeply at the well of quality information. Imagine my disappointment when I discovered that the four pieces of advice tailored for my circumstances were mediated by the modal verbs “may”, “may”, “may” and “could”. I may have to ignore it (and will). They definitely could do better (but won’t).
David Robson
Otley, Leeds
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