Letter: It is only democratic to ask the people whether they wish to confirm the previous very narrow vote

Terry Palmer, (November 20), says he could never vote Tory, but will support Brexit. Has he not noticed that the big backers of the Brexit Party share the motivation of Johnson’s right-wing Tories, namely to achieve a low tax, deregulated economy? Stockbroker Nigel Farage is certainly not concerned about the savage cuts to local services in the North of England any more than Boris Johnson. Deregulation in the early 90s led to BSE almost destroying our dairy and beef industry: heavy lobbying by the big rendering firms to reduce the temperature and time animal remains had to be processed before being fed to cattle led to the outbreak of BSE a few years later. More recently, failure to ensure that cladding on high rise buildings was properly fire-proof led to the Grenfell tragedy and very recently the student block fire in Bolton.

Regulations exist to ensure people’s protection and safety, whether of their environment , water and air quality, food, conditions at work, consumer protection etc. For once I agree with Cyril Olsen that facts need to be checked. Unfortunately Johnson rushed into calling a General Election to avoid parliamentary scrutiny of his deal and the publication of a report about potential Russian interference in both the referendum and the 2017 election. In the leaders’ debate he kept repeating he would get Brexit done, but failed to inform the nation that if we do leave at the end of January, we shall then spend years of uncertainty as the details of our new relationship with the EU are worked out, also the renegotiation of the 60 plus trade agreements we currently enjoy as a member of the EU. Companies and individuals will face great uncertainty as firms close or move their operations into the Single Market. All credible economic commentators forecast we shall be poorer - apart from very rich financiers like Rees Mogg who will move their money elsewhere.

Johnson was given the job of Foreign Secretary by Teresa May after the referendum, and failed to achieve anything in two years. The claims he made during the referendum have proved undeliverable. At least the Labour Party wants to try to achieve a deal which will be less harmful to ordinary people, and then give the people the opportunity to vote whether to accept it, or remain as full members of the EU to allow life in the UK to return to normality and address all the problems of housing, education, a punitive benefit system, the NHS, cuts to local government in the poorest parts of the country etc. After well over three years of uncertainty it is only democratic to ask the people whether they wish to confirm the previous very narrow vote.