Guildford Conservative Association Backs PM’s Brexit Commitments

Published on: 8 Mar, 2019
Updated on: 10 Mar, 2019

The Guildford Conservative Association voted this evening (March 8, 2019) to support Prime Minister May’s commitments to reject a second referendum, delaying the departure from the EU or taking “no deal” off the table.

The vote, reported by an unconfirmed source to have been 4 to 1 in favour of the motion, was taken during the association’s annual general meeting, held at St John’s Hall, Merrow. Around 100 members were said to be in attendance including Guildford’s MP Anne Milton and GBC leader Paul Spooner.

The motion claimed that not leaving on March 29 would “damage democracy and our party for a generation.”

The full motion, said to have been supported by four out of five of the Conservatives at the GCA’s AGM

GCA chairman Bob Hughes, who campaigned to Remain in 2016, said this evening: “This is a motion giving full backing to the Prime Minister. People of all views on Brexit supported it including me.”

But the local support for the PM comes while there are media reports that Conservative MPs are predicting an early demise for Theresa May, as PM, in April. Today the BBC reported that she urged MPs, during a speech she gave in Lincolnshire, to back her deal. She said: “Back it and the UK will leave the EU. Reject it and no-one knows what will happen. We may not leave the EU for many months. We may leave without the protections a deal provides, we may never leave at all.”

Second referendum campaigners on the High Street

Brexit Right to Vote website

Meanwhile a campaign group calling on the government to take a timeout and pause the Brexit process has reported that it has been on the streets of Guildford seeking local opinion.

“Right to Vote” – a campaign group co-founded in January – in response to what it describes as the government’s failure to navigate Brexit – canvassed locals views in the High Street as part of a three-week nationwide tour of 23 towns and cities.

The group is chaired by Dr Phillip Lee MP and its co-founders include Dominic Grieve, Justine Greening, Sam Gyimah and three MPs who resigned from the Conservative Party last month: Heidi Allen, Anna Soubry and Dr Sarah Wollaston.

In a press release the campaigners say: “Locals near the clock tower [sic] quizzed by Right to Vote included Cecilia, who said: “Theresa May please take time and think about the future of our country and our children”.

Dr Phillip Lee MP, chair, Right to Vote, was invited to meet with the Prime Minister at 10 Downing Street last month to discuss the campaign’s calls for a pause in the Brexit process and a possible final say.

The campaign chair said: “Whatever our Brexit views, and there were plenty on the streets of Guildford, we all need to consider whether the Prime Minister’s proposed deal, or however it’s adjusted, is really in our best interests and delivers the type of future that we want.

“As a nation, we are being held hostage over a tight deadline which is bouncing us into a bad deal. We need to stop the clock and consider our options.”

Responses to Guildford Conservative Association Backs PM’s Brexit Commitments

Jim Allen Reply

March 9, 2019 at 12:08 am

I would like to ask all the people wanting a second referendum (who clearly want it to be a Remain vote) would they have agreed to give me, along with the 17.4 million who agreed with me, a second vote had the first vote been to Remain?

I don’t think so.
Nils Christiansen Reply

March 9, 2019 at 7:54 am

The hypocrisy is staggering.

I was told on numerous occasions, whilst in the Conservative group, that Brexit is not something that should be discussed locally. I was personally abused by the leader and others for mentioning it in the chamber and ultimately deselected partly because I was prepared to express views on Brexit.

Now we discover that the local party has finally woken up to the Brexit mess and is prepared to offer a view after all.

Nils Christiansen is an Independent borough councillor for Holy Trinity.
Stuart Barnes Reply

March 9, 2019 at 9:16 am

Well done GCA in passing the resolution which clearly supports exit on WTO (World Trade Organisation) terms as nothing else will work. I wonder whether Mrs May will be quite so pleased though.

Now all that has to be done is for patriotic MPs of all parties to vote down the current disastrous WDA surrender deal (cooked up by civil servant remoaners in secret) and allow WTO (aka no deal) to take effect and then we can leave cleanly on March 29. Once that has happened we can take time to agree a fair trading deal with the EU.

The second referendum people should be ignored.
Christian Holliday Reply

March 9, 2019 at 12:14 pm

I was delighted to see the motion passed last night. It was a timely reminder that we took Remain off the table in June 2016.

The question now is how we leave, not whether we leave. I hope other local Conservative associations will follow the lead already given by the National Convention.

Christian Holliday is a Conservative borough councillor for Burpham and a Leave campaigner.
John Armstrong Reply

March 10, 2019 at 6:10 pm

Many thanks to the Guildford Conservative Association for their “No Deal” vote. I wouldn’t have minded a vote against the PM’s deal too, but one step at a time.

So, providing that things turn out OK. We should be able to sit back at 11 pm GMT (midnight according to European Central Time) on the 29th of March with our two fingers of a goodly spirit and reflect upon the nature of political debate, and the part that prejudice plays in one’s view of morality and integrity; maybe we will be able to say that integrity did win out in the end and that the Ballot Box is safe.

For those on Guildford High Street protesting against a ballot with which they had no argument the night before it occurred because they thought they were going to win, I would ask them to examine their conscience “Know thyself” indeed, for they know, all of them, that if they had won, whatever the margin, they would have declared it a great victory for democracy, the settled will of the people and there would be no question of a second referendum nor even consideration of the minority. In fact, I believe that if Remain had won there would have been a witch hunt against Leavers and UKIP in particular, and they might even have had a firework display.

I understand that Leave has been denied a turn by the Red Arrows. That’s mean isn’t it?
Stephen Lloyd Reply

March 10, 2019 at 10:38 pm

I have finally arrived at the conclusion that leaving without a deal is our most sensible option.

Leaving ‘with’ or ‘without’ a deal would both produce difficulties, but our position would be stronger leaving ‘without’ a deal, certainly long term.

The UK has unique strengths and we shouldn’t allow ourselves to be sold short. We owe it to everyone in this country, especially the young.
Patrick Haveron Reply

March 11, 2019 at 12:46 pm

The subtext in the motion is a bit more selfish, surely? “damaging our party for a generation”.

I’m so glad the vote has resolved the issue for once and for all in the Conservative Party!
Stuart Barnes Reply

March 14, 2019 at 8:37 am

Judging by the disgraceful betrayal by MPs and ministers last night it would seem that our Conservative MP was not listening when the resolution was passed by the GCA.

This possibly means the end of the party or at least a split between the real Conservatives (there are still some in the party) and the faux Conservatives who were mainly brought in under the ghastly Cameron regime.

I look forward to news of mass sackings and deselections of the faux Conservative MPs as their constituency members in the main are still real Conservatives.
Patrick Haveron Reply

March 14, 2019 at 11:32 am

I see Anne Milton abstained last night supporting the government on ‘No Deal’. Quite a feat for a former whip!

I understand ministers were allowed to absent themselves rather than resign for not following a crucial three-Line whip.

Renders the Guildford Constituency Association motion rather impotent, no?