Vital that Tories get right leader for party and country

She will step down as Conservative Party leader on June 7, remaining as PM for just a few weeks until a new one is chosen.

It’s very clear to me that, for all of her very respectable graft and determination, she long ago ran out of steam when it comes to delivering Brexit and it’s vital now that the party chooses someone with a genuine drive and a plan to deliver.

No further dithering or delay can be acceptable.

Britain absolutely must leave the EU one way or another on October 31 and finally deliver on that promise.

That requires a leader who is willing to take big decisions, and this leadership contest presents a fork in the road for this country.

READ THIS: Mansfield MP backing no-deal Brexit.

One path sees a choice of leader who is committed to leaving in October, who will put in place every safeguard and preparation for a managed exit, and ensure that the Government deliver a clean Brexit.

Only then can everyone move on to deal with the many other issues that are important in this country.

The other path sees the party choose a leader who wants more compromises, more giveaways, and who is not prepared to walk away from the negotiation – more of the same.

This won’t fix anything, and failure to deliver would, in my view, put the future of the UK’s democratic structures at risk.

At the end of the day politicians asked the public for the answer on Europe; they cannot now ignore it just because they don’t like it.

For my part, as Mansfield’s representative in Parliament, I won’t be backing anyone who is not 100 per cent committed to leaving on October

31.

That’s already six months behind schedule, and it can be delayed no further.

That broken promise has broken trust with the public, and only by delivering it can we politicians again ask people to trust us on schools or health, and the domestic challenges we will still face afterwards.