Britain holds aces in Brexit negotiations

Sir, - I read almost daily articles on the Brexit negotiations and what the EU will do to the UK if we do not agree to their demands like an £85 million payment plus EU courts overseeing EU residents’ rights in the UK.

This demand is nonsense and a ploy to take the light off the main problem at present, the divorce bill which the EU will not document or clarify. I assume this is because the EU has no audited figures to justify the demand. The UK stance at present is we will pay what we are due and nothing more until it is justified and fair.

Business negotiations are complex and a little like playing cards at times. If you hold three or four aces you are in a very strong position.

The UK does on this occasion in the form of huge payments made monthly to Brussels. Should Mr Barnier walk away from the negotiations, the UK needs to withhold the payments until the EU produces an account for the divorce first then drops the demand for the UK supreme court to be subservient to EU courts. Then it is back to the table. The wild card held by the UK are the inputs from the USA, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Japan, all very keen to agree a trade deal with the UK.

The negotiating team needs to get a lot more aggressive (like Mr Juncker) and tell the other side how it really is and walk away with the cheque book until the other side gets a little common sense.

I was a strong supporter of the common market but have never supported nor seen the benefit of the EU as it is becoming very obvious the GermanFrench alliance will damage the UK in the longer term if we do not stand up for ourselves. George Sangster. Woodlands, Logie, Montrose.

Picture: Getty. Brexit secretary David Davis and EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier.