A Brexit analysis vacuum

Sir, – Interesting that we have had analysis in relation to the cost of Brexit from both the SNP Scottish Government and the Mayor of London, yet none from the Westminster Government, or even a reasonable argument querying these reports.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, commissioned an analysis on a hard Brexit and the results claimed 87,000 jobs could go in London alone – an alarming statistic considering the average salary in London is £48,023. This means a total of £4.2 billion per annum in lost earnings that will not go into the London economy – or the UK economy, for that matter.

If we look at the report commissioned by the SNP Scottish Government, although this is formatted in a different way, the figures are noteworthy. With a softer Brexit starting at £1,610 per person in Scotland – on a scale to £2,300 per person for a hard Brexit – this is truly alarming for the Scottish economy and our local economy will no doubt suffer as well.

I am so disappointed that no counter-analysis has been forthcoming from the UK Government, and David Davis confirmed this when he was brought in front of the Exiting the European Union Committee.

The only positive claims for Brexit have been the change of colour of our passports and the very ambitious rhetoric, and completely undeliverable rhetoric, on the side of the Brexit bus. One could argue that the farming community would benefit, as goods from Europe may be uneconomical to import into the UK.

The flip side is there is no guarantee of how much subsidy capacity is in the UK or Scottish Government budgets to replace the CAP, which most farmers are reliant on. In addition, there is the prospect of diminishing availability of Eastern European labour which our farming industry is reliant on.

Scotland is in a position where we are being forced to exit the EU though our people didn’t vote for Brexit.

The cost of £1,610 to £2,300 per person is in excess of the £1,400 per person the UK treasury claimed Scottish independence would cost. The question this raises is: are we really that better together?

This is something the Scottish electorate needs to take on board when the next referendum comes along.

Cllr Henry Anderson. 4 Muirmont Crescent, Bridge of Earn.