How not to reconcile voters on either side of the Brexit debate

Please send your letters to letters@independent.co.uk

Dr Arthur Smith’s letter this week (“Rightfully returned”) is a perfect illustration of how not to reconcile those who voted Leave and those who voted Remain.

It’s now 11 months since the UK left the EU. Many informed commentators have pointed out issues which need to be addressed as a result – and in many cases, have not been. This is not the result of “pro-EU brainwashing”, but of a need to address practical real world issues which this government has persistently tried to sweep under the carpet. 

Rather than accusing the “diehard Remain lobby” of “continuing to whinge four and a half years after the democratic vote”, Dr Smith might want to ask himself why opinion polls show that 50 per cent of the UK population now believe the 2016 vote was a mistake.

Having done so, I’d suggest that he puts his efforts into holding his own MP and this government to account to deliver on the prime minister’s extravagant claims for the future rather than being gratuitously offensive to his fellow citizens.

Paul Rex

South Warnborough

Points for consistency

Keir Starmer should gain what credit he can for consistency: in 1971 Harold Wilson imposed a three-line whip opposing entry to the EEC and now Sir Keir has imposed a three-line whip in support of a deal to leave the EU

Dr John Doherty

Stratford-upon-Avon

For publication

Now that Brexit is done will Boris release the alternative pro-Remain article he chose to remain unpublished?

Trevor Lyttleton

London

Spending priorities

The Tory party should listen to the overwhelming majority. We don’t want our taxes spent on foreign aid any more. Certainly not when our country is borrowing money. It’s an absolute disgrace.

T Sayer

Bristol

Covid-19 needs

In your report headed “Independent Sage calls for third national lockdown” you quote a government spokesperson as saying: “We have also secured 357 million doses of potential vaccines, with the Pfizer vaccine already being delivered to reduce the pressure on our frontline health and care workers as more people at greatest risk receive protection.”

The people at greatest risk and in greatest need of protection are all too obviously the frontline health and care workers, not the elderly (and I speak as one of the latter).  

The elderly have demonstrated that we can self-isolate successfully, frontline health and care workers by definition cannot.

It is yet another shortsighted failure of government policy not to have insisted that the rollout of the vaccine must start with our health and care workers.

D Maughan Brown

York

Please lock down the whole of the UK now, before it is too late to save the NHS and save lives.

Brenda Quilter

Address supplied