Government left to do as it pleases

Dear Sir,

If I might be permitted to respond to Chris Turner's letter in last week's Chronicle about a further referendum on the conditions eventually negotiated with the EU on our trade relations with them following Brexit, I'd be grateful.

While I sympathise with his comments about our initial joining of the European Community we are where we are.

One of the challenges in this debate is that we do not have a codified constitution to use the official jargon that would lay down the conditions, arrangements and process of any future referenda, leaving the Government to do much as they please.

We are as a nation presently divided on this issue and I would hope that having a further referendum on the outcome of the Brexit negotiations will help to counter that.

My own view is that though parliamentary agreement would be sufficient, it would be better if there were a further referendum on this different question of whether the negotiated trade relations with the EU are acceptable.

As the people decided to leave, only they can properly reverse that decision though I would prefer that the electorate be widened to include those between 16 and 18 who will be massively effected by it.

Yours sincerely,

Dr Peter Hirst

Middlewich