Shropshire Star comment: Making a tricky time still worse for Theresa May
With speculation continuing to mount about Theresa May’s future, the leaking of the report into the impact of Brexit will not have helped her disposition.
The country is in the midst of a hugely sensitive and complicated negotiation and, as many commentators have already pointed out, Britain’s bargaining position in the negotiations is not exactly helped by the internal divisions within the Conservative Party.
It seems increasingly clear that many within the Tory party are unhappy at the PM’s leadership at this most critical of junctures.
Since her uncharacteristic and ill-fated gamble on an early election she has, to quote her old adversary George Osborne, been viewed as a Dead Woman Walking.
She remains in post to a certain extent because there are no obvious successors or anyone willing to take the risk of going down in a blaze of glory.
The country seems not to want the accident-prone but popular Boris Johnson to lead it, nor are any of the Cabinet’s so-called big beasts – Philip Hammond, Amber Rudd and David Davis – viewed as being likely to bring about an upturn in the party’s fortunes.
Indeed, one of the key reasons why she remains in power is because the Conservative Party, winning machine that it is, is sufficiently pragmatic enough to realise the pitfalls of a change in leadership.
Switching horse now may cause more delays, upset and would further weaken the country’s position.
For many, the focus should be on ensuring the country gets the best possible deal. The political infighting is not helping.
To that end, there will be many who say such characters as Iain Duncan Smith, Jacob Rees Mogg, Dr Liam Fox and Philip Hammond might do more to rally around a common cause rather than engaging in political point-scoring or promoting a personal agenda.
The people voted for Brexit and that means a fundamental change to our relationship with Europe – and indeed our relationship with the rest of the world.
The clock is ticking and time is tight as we head to the exit next year, before making a transition by 2020. The internal bickering serves only to make a favourable settlement for Britain less likely.
President Donald Trump said Britain ought to be tough – more importantly, however, it ought to speak with a collective voice that is not drowned out by the unhelpful sound of dissent.There is simply too much at stake.
