Parliament must have say on Brexit deal

DID those living in Merthyr Tydfil who voted to leave the European Union do so to become worse off?

Of course not, but that is exactly what is likely to happen.

As the pound loses value, prices of imported food and consumer goods continue to rise, with the cost of living forecast to reach 2.6% by the end of the year (five times more than the rate before the referendum).

Holidays abroad, too, will be more expensive as the pound shrinks.

Were the people “duped”, as former Prime Minister Sir John Major recently suggested, as a result of a high-risk hard Brexit, which could hit the most vulnerable and those least able to protect themselves.

Little is now heard of the claim that leaving the EU would mean £350m each week for the NHS and cheaper gas, electricity and petrol with the removal of VAT. On the contrary, Chancellor Philip Hammond is already preparing to put aside £60bn to cover the cost of leaving the EU, signalling no fundamental change to the Government’s austerity policies.

Furthermore, Theresa May has said that if she fails to strike a satisfactory deal with the other 27 EU members then she would have no alternative but to adopt World Trade Organisation rules – a very worrying prospect.

This week the Lords will seek to impose an amendment that could result in Parliament having a meaningful say in any final deal that the Prime Minister brings back from Brussels.

This surely is eminently fair that the representatives of the people should be involved at this stage and

the decision not left to a cohort of Brexiteers to determine the fate of the British people for decades to come. JL Stanfield, Merthyr Tydfil