Theresa May is stoking hate by unfairly blaming MPs for her Brexit failure

It is nearly three years since the murder of Jo Cox. The PM needs to show real leadership to calm rising tensions

Theresa May’s Downing Street statement on Wednesday was dangerous.

In pushing the blame for the Brexit deadlock on to MPs – most of whom are just trying their best to achieve the least damaging outcome – and shrugging off any responsibility, May has exacerbated an already fraught situation. Already, there have been reports from MPs of a spike in abuse.

Lloyd Russell-Moyle tweeted last night that he had been attacked in a street in his own constituency. “This is not normal, I’m representing my constituents but @theresa_may has whipped up fear and division with her speech,” he said.

And Anna Soubry said that she “can’t go home this weekend” because of death threats over her Brexit stance.

All this is happening as we approach the third anniversary of Jo Cox’s murder by a far-right extremist.

People are angry about the process itself, and all possible Brexit outcomes have the potential to generate even more anger. But the prime minister’s comments only serve to pour fuel on an already combustible atmosphere of hate. Her approach is opening a door for populists to exploit the Brexit mess that she has created.

The country is already on edge. A recent report from HOPE not hate found that while Brexit has always been a divisive issue, the process adopted by the government to leave the EU has made things worse. People are now less trusting of politicians, and less willing to reach a compromise position themselves.

By claiming that the public “just want Brexit to be done with” so the country can turn to other important issues, May was seeking to take advantage of the frustration that the government’s approach has itself created. But rushing through a bad deal that does not work for most people is not getting Brexit done: it will actually make things worse as people react with anger to a deal they don’t approve of.

When we asked voters last summer, people said they had little faith in Theresa May to get a deal with the EU that worked for Britain: 59 per cent said they had very little or little confidence that the PM would secure a good deal, while just three per cent said they had a lot of confidence in her. This lack of confidence has been borne out: our Populus poll in December found just 21 per cent of people overall supported the government’s proposed deal, with 47 per cent opposed.

The prime minister has kept the public in the dark over the likely outcome of the Brexit talks, and in doing so has not given people “what they want”; rather she has widened the gap between Westminster and voters. People do not trust the process, do not feel consulted, and think that the Government has failed even to try to reach a consensus.

By placing the blame on MPs, May is fuelling “anti-politics” sentiment. This has consequences.

Narratives about the political class as “traitors”, already in circulation and being used by the likes of Stephen Yaxley-Lennon (“Tommy Robinson”) and other rabble rousers for their own political gain, will resonate even more.

In just six months, our polling shows that the proportion of people who feel that any of the main political parties reflect what they think has fallen, with just 32% per cent of people saying they feel represented by these parties at the last time of asking.

A lack of trust in politicians, growing as a result of the Brexit process, is creating a toxic atmosphere in our political debate, with MPs on the receiving end of serious threats and abuse.

We have been surveying MPs about the level of abuse they receive and the vast majority have told us that it is growing, both for them and their staff. Female MPs are receiving the majority of the vitriol, and are more likely to have received threats to themselves and their families.

One MP told us they had received abuse from all sides of the debate, including from members of their own parties, and that Brexit is overwhelmingly a motivating factor. They said:

“The referendum result...seems to have given license for people to say things online that they would never have said previously. There is a different atmosphere in our political debate. Verbal abuse and threats to staff have grown.”

It’s also important to remember that we’re still at the very start of the process of leaving the EU. Getting the Withdrawal Agreement done only moves us into the next phase.

There is still a lot of public optimism among Leave supporters that Brexit will achieve the impossible: delivering prosperity despite Brexit promises having already been debunked as myths and economic projections indicating a significant decline.

Theresa May has a responsibility to be honest with the British public, instead of feeding false beliefs. By overpromising on what Brexit will deliver anti-establishment mistrust will swell even further when expectations do not match reality.

There will be fierce debates about the right way forward for the country. The stakes are, after all, very high. That makes it all the more important for the prime minister to keep the political temperature steady.

It is for the prime minister to lead the debate in a way that emphasises good faith, common ground, and respect. This is a key test for a political leader. Right now, she is failing that test.

Rosie Carter is senior policy officer at HOPE not hate