The contradiction at the heart of Mrs May’s Brexit stance after Salzburg

SIR – Theresa May has indicated that she is standing by her Chequers plan, and also says that she will respect the referendum result.

Unfortunately, these two statements are mutually exclusive. John Frankel

Newbury, Berkshire

SIR – One expects a prime minister to lead and to uphold our national honour, particularly in dealings with other countries. Theresa May’s humiliation in Salzburg underlines what an abysmal leader she truly is.

There have been 14 prime ministers in my lifetime. Only one or two have excelled, but, at a time we need a real leader with backbone, Mrs May is surely the worst of the lot. EC Lea

Halesowen

SIR – Fraser Nelson writes (Comment, September 21) that “Mrs May specialises in survival”, and argues that it is this quality which makes her “the best woman for the job”. I would beg to differ. What the country desperately needs is a leader committed to delivering the Brexit for which the people voted, not some sort of fudged agreement.

Does the Prime Minister have the necessary courage? Virginia Rumball

Shrewsbury, Shropshire

SIR – The leaders of the European Union have fallen into a trap of their own making. By rejecting the Prime Minister’s Chequers plan out of hand, they leave the Government with few choices other than to head for the exit under WTO rules.

I truly believe that this public humiliation will serve to unite our country and the Government at a time when that seemed highly unlikely. With or without a deal, we will show the EU and the world that we can make it on our own quite nicely. Ira Fishman

Sedgwick, Cumbria stance on Brexit, I hope the rest of the nation is equally appalled at the behaviour of the leaders of the EU member states this last week.

These are the acts of schoolboys and they are to be deplored. Jeremy Watson

Marnhull, Dorset

SIR – As an avowed Brexiteer, I would be greatly concerned if the people of Ireland were eventually to be barred from free travel to the United Kingdom with the rights to work, study and vote here. The history of our two nations is deeply intertwined, and Irish people have made tremendous contributions to this country. Many British and Irish people have family connections or shared ancestry.

After centuries of conflict, our two countries now enjoy harmonious relationships with each other. It would be a crying shame to allow these to be broken by either side in the EU negotiations just to prove a point. Ted Shorter

Tonbridge, Kent