LETTER: Find a word meaning Maria

In the spirit of that Sound of Music song, I’ve been trying to ‘find a word that means Maria’.

While keeping things polite and respectful, there is a wealth of suitable choices for our MP. Janet Hardy-Gould’s letter (A clear gap between views – Letters May 12), contrasting the assurances of support that Ms Caulfield gives to her constituents with her actual voting record, certainly points towards some tempting possibilities… I think there are actually two words that perfectly sum up Maria, and they would have to be ‘severe Brexiteer’.

These seem like the ideal words to describe an MP who was among the group of Conservatives who recently stormed out of Hillary Benn’s Brexit Select Committee, apparently unable to stomach expert analysis of the pitfalls of a Hard Brexit.

They also seem the best words to describe an MP whose vision of an ideal Brexit outcome is so close to UKIP’s that their general election candidate for the Lewes constituency has decided to stand down.

One explanation as to why Theresa May called this snap election is that she wants a large enough majority to avoid being held to ransom in Brexit negotiations. Not held to ransom by the opposition, but by an opposition: the dogmatic, hard Brexit zealots that inhabit the far right of her own party, the likes of ‘Maria the severe Brexiteer’.

I know that the transformation of the MP for Lewes into a candidate for Tory-UKIP has resulted in many local Conservative voters feeling rather queasy, and many are taking the decision to switch their allegiances in this election. Perhaps the thought that they are helping to relieve Lewes and parliament of ‘Maria the severe Brexiteer’ might offer them some consolation.

Kate Ward

Southdown Avenue, Lewes