A Conservative peer has revealed how she was branded a “slut”, a “whore”, a “harlot” and “scum” for warning Brexit would be bad for Britain.
Baroness Wheatcroft told the House of Lords of the “irrational hostility” she received while campaigning for a ‘Remain’ vote.
The peer and former newspaper editor has argued there should be second referendum on the deal Theresa May strikes with Brussels.
She said on Monday evening the referendum “seems to have unleashed a wave of anger and intolerance which is truly frightening and dangerous for this country”.
“When I dared to voice my concerns over the outcome of the referendum, my postbag—both virtual and real—was awful. It was astonishing that people actually put stamps on those diatribes.
“There were plaintive messages from UK citizens living in Europe who now feel completely abandoned, but there were many more, branding me ‘slut’, ‘whore’, ‘harlot’, ‘scum’ and much, much worse. Encouraged, no doubt, by various, more vicious parts of the media.”
Baroness Wheatcroft was speaking during the first day of a marathon debate in the Lords on the EU (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill which, when passed, will allow Theresa May to trigger Article 50.
She said politicians who believed leaving the EU would be bad for the UK must “not be intimidated by the bullies” as she confirmed she would vote against the Bill.
Former Tory chancellor Lord Lawson told BBC Daily Politics that Wheatcroft was “silly” to think the Lords should try to block Brexit. “The people have spoken, the House of Commons has accepted this by an overwhelming majority and for one eccentric peeress to complain about it is neither here nor there,” he said.
The House of Lords will today conclude the first stage of the crucial Brexit debate after May and Boris Johnson ramped up pressure on them not to block or delay Brexit.