Labour’s Brexit policy reflects its lack of faith in the referendum result

SIR – The Labour Party has said that it accepts the decision of the British people to leave the EU.

However, it wishes to remain within the single market and the customs union (leading article, April 26). It will also repeal legislation affecting withdrawal and will seek to enshrine environmental protection laws and the rights of EU workers.

In order to achieve its aims, the party would have to accept the EU’s “four freedoms”, and the role and jurisdiction of the European Court. “Respecting the decision of the British people” is thus given a new, somewhat “Pickwickian” meaning here: quite European, in fact. Kenneth Jones Groby, Leicestershire

SIR – The Conservatives’ position is that if the EU fails to offer us a reasonable post-Brexit trade deal then we will leave without one.

Labour’s position seems to be that if the EU offers us a sufficiently bad deal then we will cancel Brexit. It is not

SIR – Calls for Britain to keep paying into the EU budget until 2020 (report, April 26) are best answered by Shakespeare in Cymbeline: “Britain is a world by itself, and we will nothing pay for wearing our own noses.” Rev Dr A A Macintosh Cambridge

SIR – Sir Bill Cash (Letters, April 25) has endorsed Juliet Samuel’s comments about Jean Monnet’s plans for European political integration.

What he may not know is that Douglas Hurd arranged for the Tory party to become a secret corporate member of Monnet’s Action Committee for a United States of Europe. According to François Duchêne, Monnet’s chief aide and biographer, the Liberal and Labour parties followed suit.

The British public, of course,

SIR – William Hague (Comment, April 25) rightly criticises previous Labour governments for their policies on the EU, such as signing the Lisbon Treaty.

However, one could go all the way back to 1973 and point out that a Conservative prime minister took us into the Common Market, as it was known then. In fairness one should also point out that the opposition to our joining in 1973 was led by principled Labour politicians such as Peter Shore and Tony Benn. Even Mrs Thatcher made too many concessions.

The last straw came when David Cameron tried to persuade the public that he had secured a good deal for Britain when he clearly hadn’t.

By all means criticise Tony Blair, but let us spread the blame a little. Geoff Blackman Mullion, Cornwall