A website called Briefings for Brexit published a podcast in the Summer just before the Parliamentary recess in which MP for Lewes, Maria Caulfield stated “Northern Ireland so depends on their trade with the rest of the UK, we are their biggest market and if you suddenly put borders up between them they are really going to suffer and that is something I don’t think we could accept” Of course no one is arguing for Northern Ireland to be forced to become Independent of the UK, but there is clearly a strong case for suggesting that they should be given a choice over such a matter. After all in the 2016 referendum 55.8% of those who voted, chose to remain in the EU so their wishes as part of the referendum need as much consideration as their trading dependence on the rest of the UK. Add to this that the largest market that the UK trades with is the EU and there is a clear need for our trading borders with the EU to remain open just as much as Maria believes the Irish connection to the rest of the UK must remain open. Clearly if our economy collapses as a result of a No Deal departure, Maria’s argument regarding the NI economy becomes meaningless. Yet since the Summer Maria has now joined a group known as Stand Up 4 Brexit and that group is arguing vociferously for a Hard Brexit and No Deal Brexit. 

During the interview Maria also stated that “there is a lot of speculation. But with the colleagues I spoke to who voted leave, there is no appetite for a leadership challenge at all because that derails Brexit completely” which is odd as Maria was one of the MPs who publicly declared she had signed a letter calling for a vote of no confidence in Theresa about 5 months later in early December. 

Another statement she made during the podcast was “We need to go back, get in touch with our constituents and to see how they are feeling about the Chequers deal. People quite like having an MP who resigned on a point of principle I have had a positive response to that.” Now clearly principles depend on following through on what has been stated. Although I live in a neighbouring constituency to Maria’s, I travel through hers every day to get to work and spend several hours each week in the constituency and I know many of the local residents. In all that time I have not observed or heard of any process by which she has gathered views in a methodical manner. It seems vital that if an MP who claims to have such integrity wishes to understand the views of all of her constituents that she along with her neighbouring MPs should consider establishing a mechanism that will enable all of the residents across Sussex to express their views regarding the best way forward for our nation. Clearly Maria changed her position regarding the confidence she once had in Theresa May in a five month period and so she must understand that her constituents may also have changed their views regarding matters such as the nature of our departure from the EU based on a vote they made 30 months ago. However she will only find this out if she concocts a method for finding out their views!