Britain must not be bullied into watering down its ambitions for Brexit

SIR – Christopher Booker (Review, September 11) is wrong to claim that it would be “suicidal” to leave the European Union single market.

There will of course be such dire predictions, designed to pressure the Government into staying in and accepting freedom of movement.

This must be resisted. Britain voted for control over its borders, control over its money, control over its laws and control of its waters. Anything less would be unacceptable and provoke justified anger.

We have witnessed unparalleled success from our Olympic athletes, and we expect nothing less than a gold-standard performance from our ministers in taking Britain out of the undemocratic and sclerotic EU.

In terms of trade, Britain is in a very strong position, and it must be stressed that no deal at all is better than what we currently have. David Joyce Hereford SIR – The EU’s insistence on linking access to the single market with the free movement of people is a vain attempt to blackmail Britain.

If access to the single market is denied and tariff barriers are erected, officials in Brussels should be aware that such a policy is obviously reciprocal.

Britain has a potential market of more than 60 million people (very different from Norway or Switzerland) and is a very important export market for many products that are manufactured by different countries in the EU.

Maybe it is time that those officials take on board the meaning of the expression, “people in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones”. Stephen Reichwald London NW8 SIR – Herman Van Rompuy, the former EU president, along with other EU leaders, apparently told David Cameron that the referendum was a “mistake”.

What a wonderful illustration of the EU’s total disregard for the democratic process – which underlines why the British people voted to leave. Neil Bailey Manchester SIR – Much has been said about the EU’s proposals to make British tourists pay for visas to Europe – but all from the perspective of people living in Britain.

What will happen to the hundreds of thousands of British citizens who are legally and permanently resident in the EU – in France, Spain, Germany, Italy or Cyprus, to name but a few of the larger expat populations?

We shall presumably be able to travel freely back to Britain. However, will our permanent residence permits suffice for the return leg?

Or will we in addition have to obtain a (hopefully long-term, multi-entry) visa to allow us to re-enter the country where we may have been living for decades? Hilary Ives Nicosia, Cyprus