EU costs to continue

SIR – What’s the bet that the proposed Brexit interim agreement will neatly coincide with end of the EU’S current spending round?

By effectively agreeing to remain in the EU until 2021, the Government would avoid the legal battle in Brussels over its existing financial commitments, while claiming that continued payments are justified because they will avert a cliff-edge change to trading arrangements.

In reality, however, this policy represents a failure to stand up to the EU, a surrender to financial blackmail and an admission that the Civil Service cannot move beyond first gear. Worse, by signalling that Britain won’t get its act together by March 2019, it will strengthen the EU’S position: now, all it has to do is string Britain along for another six months until the time required for a Plan B has run out. Phil Radford

Sydney, Australia

SIR – Britain should negotiate with any other countries that it wishes.

The new treaties can be made effective after Brexit, but their terms can be formulated before. The EU’S attempts to concentrate on lesser matters before dealing with the economic ones are a ploy to delay discussions until the last moment. John Pattinson

London SW6