Why was there a ‘must’ over EU agreement?

I recently happened upon a ‘position paper’ published by the government of Theresa

May four years ago, on August 16, 2017, which carried the seeds of the current potentially disastrous outcome of Brexit.

In its paragraph 42: “The UK must reach an agreement with the EU in order to ensure that the Irish side of the land border, which is subject to relevant EU regulations, is also as seamless and frictionless as possible.”

For sure, most people would have agreed that it would be preferable to reach an amicable agreement with the EU, but it was a grave strategic error to publicly declare that we ‘must’ reach such an agreement.

The price for that agreement demanded by the EU and the Irish government was continued EU control of Northern Ireland, but Theresa May cleverly persuaded them to accept control over the whole of the UK.

(Viewpoint, October 11 2018, ‘Leaving the customs union seems unlikely’)

It took the genius of her successor, Boris Johnson, to reverse that negotiating triumph, to sacrifice the integrity of our internal market to protect that of the EU single market, and potentially break up the UK.

Perhaps even he now realises that the revised Irish protocol he gave to the EU must be terminated, and if Theresa May wishes to make good use of her remaining time as our MP she should work to that end.

As a ‘Conservative and Unionist’ MP she should surely be able to convince the other ‘Conservative and Unionist’ MPs that to preserve the union the Prime Minister they chose must abrogate this treaty.

Dr D R COOPER Belmont Park Avenue

Maidenhead