Does Britain rely too much on London?

NOW the people’s choice of leaving the EU has been declared, maybe this is the opportunity to address the alienation of the population outside London towards what they perceive as an out-of-touch political elite. Might the solution be to move the offices of government from Whitehall to a more central UK location, which would support the ‘powerhouse’ of the North and re-engage those who feel marginalised and neglected by a London-based ruling class? Only recently it was declared that the structure of the Palace of Westminster is crumbling and needs millions spent in repairs. If so, why not relocate Parliament to one of the other major cities such as Sheffield, York or Birmingham, venues much nearer to the heart of the country? There are probably innumerable empty factories and warehouses which could be transformed, with a local population who would benefit from increased employment servicing their new residents. We should send the MPs north so they might experience for themselves what it’s like to live and work in the regions most affected by their decisions. Perhaps then, knowing what the voters really feel, they wouldn’t be so surprised by the result of any referendum in the future.

MARIon VAnoVITCH, ongar, Essex, THE inevitable consequence of the Brexit vote is that London won’t be Europe’s centre for financial services and international law. Over the next two years, thousands of our brightest people will follow their organisations to Frankfurt, Paris or Dublin. I appreciate that a significant portion of the UK population will be pleased to see London’s influence decline, but I hope those who wanted Brexit have a clever plan for other parts of the UK to grow the economy and jobs. Maybe they plan for the ‘Northern powerhouse’ to drive economic growth or perhaps there will be an exciting revival of the British coastal towns? Over to you, Brexit camp.

PETER WELLAnD, Beech Hill, Berks.