Some people take the view that at the recent party conference in Birmingham Mrs May should have done more to reach out to those Conservatives who voted to remain in the EU. In a letter published in The Daily Telegraph on 14 October, Alistair Lexden drew a contrast with Churchill’s conduct when he became prime minister in 1940.
SIR—Mrs May did not try hard enough last week to “mingle the victorious and the defeated in the EU referendum”, Charles Moore pointed out (Comment, October 10).
She should have followed Churchill’s example when he became prime minister in May 1940. Many urged him to cast aside all who had supported appeasement which, like the EU, had once enjoyed widespread support throughout the Tory party.
He resisted those siren voices in the interests of political unity. Neville Chamberlain became his right-hand man.
When Chamberlain died in November 1940, Churchill said, with tears in his eyes: “ What shall I do without poor Neville? I was relying on him to run the home front for me.”
Lord Lexden
London SW1