The date for Theresa May to have sought support from Labour in dealing with the complexities of Brexit was well over two years ago on 11 July 2016, from the steps of No 10 Downing Street (Revealed: Theresa May’s secret bid to get Labour to back Brexit deal, 5 October). Desperation now drives her Brexit policy.
It was her and her government’s decision to exclude all other parties or representation from any other party in the vital negotiations with the EU: this was arrogance and a mistake of such proportions difficult to exaggerate, made by a newly installed PM driven by an unrealistic self-belief.
So at the 11th hour the “strong and stable” Mrs May attempts to woo the malcontents in the parliamentary Labour party, who have consistently opposed Corbyn’s leadership, to fill the gaps in her majority left by the openly hostile, hard-right Tory MPs jumping ship. And the ambition of the UK’s Mr Trump can’t help her sleep at night.
Eddie Dougall
Walsham le Willows, Suffolk
• To read your piece on the future of the Nissan plant in Sunderland (The end of the line?, 4 October) as a resident, and city councillor, was chilling. It saddens me that I can offer nothing from my local perspective or experience that runs counter to the piece, with one exception: while the article says “the MPs and council campaigned for Britain to remain in the EU”, the Labour party in Sunderland ran a mile from the issue.
I remember the uphill battle of canvassing door to door for Stronger In that summer – and the small team of young people we managed to rally together. It is a mystery why Labour, the city’s one political party with the money, manpower and clout to have any impact back in 2016, found itself mute, stationary and wavering.
Cllr Niall Hodson
Lib Dem, Sunderland city council
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