“How long can this Brexit shambles go on?”, “I have been betrayed” and “I’m voting UKIP next time, I no longer trust the Prime Minister” these are such some of the comments made in the emails I receive daily. This is undoubtedly a sad state of affairs and unless we start listening to our constituents then we are heading for an electoral disaster at the next general election.

It was a difficult decision for me to publicly speak out against the Prime Minister. I have been a loyal backbench MP since I was first elected in 2015, but more and more of my colleagues and constituents are dismayed by the lack of leadership and the wrong direction the party and the country are being taken in, especially over Brexit. I remain a loyal Conservative, however, enough is enough and it is time for there to be a new leader.

I have made it clear that I no longer have confidence in the Prime Minister’s ability to lead the country and to guide us through the remaining stages of the Brexit process. The Chequers proposal is ‘Brexit in name only’, we voted to leave the European Union and that means all of its institutions including the customs union and common rulebook. Those of us who campaigned to leave the EU made promises to the electorate and to our constituents and we cannot go back on our word. Let us not forget that every Conservative MP stood on a manifesto to deliver Brexit and we each have a responsibly to the British public to deliver the referendum result. We now need to be fully independent and we need to fully grasp the opportunities that will open up to us after we leave.