Trade benefits of a bridge across the Irish Sea
SIR – Boris Johnson is absolutely right (report, June 12) to call for a Northern Ireland fixed link to interconnect the United Kingdom and thus create a more dynamic internal market.
Freight and logistics are industries in their own right and they would be prime winners of such a scheme, given the strategic importance of Belfast.
A happy by-product of such a scheme would be the reinstatement of the Dumfries-stranraer railway line.
John Barstow
Pulborough, West Sussex
SIR – A two-lane system of traffic would surely obviate any need for a hard border between the Irish Republic and Northern Ireland.
Lane 1 would be for “local traffic” and Lane 2 for “EU traffic”, with the latter electronically (or physically) checked by either side, or both. The former could always be spot-checked if abuse was suspected.
Day-to-day local traffic would pass unhindered through Lane 1 (no hard border). Larger goods shipments would pass through Lane 2.
Visitors from outside the Republic or the United Kingdom would also take Lane 2 for any passport checks deemed necessary by either side. Once their passport had been checked and stamped they would be free to use the other lane for the duration of any visit.
Simon Olley
Sevenoaks, Kent
SIR – What an excellent letter (June 11) from the 16 entrepreneurs. There can be few of us who voted to leave the EU who did not expect a common-sense solution to be found that would enable us to keep a common market.
It is now clear that our Government does not have the skills to negotiate a practical solution of this kind. Some of those entrepreneurs should be recruited to help.
Michael Hatch
Reading, Berkshire
SIR – Several letter-writers have threatened to stop voting Tory if the Government fails to deliver a Brexit of the kind described in David Cameron’s mailshot.
I urge these people to write instead to Ken Clarke and other Remainers. A heavy enough mailbag might persuade them that they risk bringing Jeremy Corbyn into power – and bringing about the end of the Conservatives.
Dave Hartley
Maidstone, Kent