'Verging on criminal’: Fury at Telegraph article suggesting PM Theresa May guilty of treason
The Telegraph has drawn the ire of MPs and social media users alike over an article it published insinuating UK Prime Minister Theresa May is guilty of treason over her latest Brexit plan.
Cross-party MPs are accusing the outlet of being “shockingly irresponsible” over the article by writer Christopher Howse entitled: ‘Is Theresa May guilty of treason? Plenty of readers think so. Politicians would be wise to listen up’.
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Howse explains how the paper has received a storm of letters from angry readers who feel “betrayed” by May’s post-Brexit trade plan agreed at Chequers on Friday. The plan would see the UK sticking to EU rules in order to have a free trade deal with the bloc once Brexit takes effect.
“‘Where are the politicians of principle who will honour the manifesto promises they were elected on,’ asked a reader from Solihull,” Howse wrote of the correspondence.
“Instead we have only traitorous members of the Cabinet who think only of their careers,” the reader added.
Public outcry swiftly poured in through Twitter over the article, with one saying it “verges on criminal” in its broaching of the treason charge.
Utterly disgusting. The Telegraph is out of control. This is verging on criminal. Anyone who still buys this publication should do the decent thing and boycott it.
— Solange #FBPE Maybe we just don't want brexit (@solange_lebourg) July 11, 2018
This is disgraceful and @Telegraph should delete it immediately pic.twitter.com/ei4XjRM71E
— Andrew Adonis (@Andrew_Adonis) July 11, 2018
@Telegraph No @theresa_may is not guilty of treason. You are guilty of gross hyperbole, lack of judgement or common decency. My subscription is cancelled and until you find some leadership of your own your "newspaper" will not be bought here again
— dave james (@davejames11) July 11, 2018
I think we can see in this one headline why your readership & advertisers are deserting the Telegraph in droves. I have little time for Theresa May but accusing her of treason is appalling, unacceptable & very dangerous behaviour. Shame on you.
— Liz Anderson🥂📚🖋🏺 (@liz_lizanderson) July 11, 2018
Other social media users referenced the murder of Jo Cox in 2016 as a reason to deplore such incendiary rhetoric. The Labour MP was shot and stabbed multiple times by far-right extremist Thomas Mair, who was handed a life sentence for the murder.
Utterly deplore this shockingly irresponsible tweet by @Telegraph. May is incompetent, untrustworthy & reckless, but that is not ‘treason’. Editors need to remember that it is just two years since an MP was murdered, and that many receive regular death threats. Just grow up. pic.twitter.com/OAynzD2bMr
— Caroline Lucas (@CarolineLucas) July 11, 2018
It’s been just two years since a British politician was murdered on the streets and MPs now face death threats for their views on Brexit. This is utterly irresponsible from the Telegraph. https://t.co/kQ7M7gUOYM
— Adam Bienkov (@AdamBienkov) July 11, 2018
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