Tory rivals agreed to be outside the customs union during the transition
SIR – Congratulations to Ambrose Evans-pritchard (Business, February 8) for saying categorically that the EU’S behaviour in the Brexit negotiations has left us with no alternative but to back away and resort instead to World Trade Organisation rules.
With alleged dissension in the Cabinet, it might be timely to recall the Telegraph article (August 13 2017) by Philip Hammond, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and Liam Fox, the International Trade Secretary.
They said: “In March 2019 the UK will leave the EU. We will leave the customs union and be free to negotiate the best trade deals around the world as an independent, open trading nation… We believe a time-limited interim period will be important to further our national interest… but it cannot be a back door to staying in the EU… We are both clear that during this period the UK will be outside the single market and outside the customs union and will be a ‘third country’, not party to EU treaties.”
On October 23 2017 the Prime Minister told Parliament that unless a trade deal was agreed by next summer Britain would have to leave the EU on WTO terms and scrap the proposed two-year transition period. David Sprague
Exmouth, Devon
SIR – Your report (February 9) that Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour leader, promised Michel Barnier, the EU negotiator, that he would give the EU everything it demanded if we could stay in the customs union is laughable from the man who promised he would be Prime Minister by last Christmas.
Mr Corbyn may promise the world to the EU. More fool the EU if it thinks he can deliver. There is ever more reason for Conservative MPS to support Theresa May to ensure there is not an election until 2023. Michael Edwards
Haslemere, Surrey
SIR – Ambrose Evans-pritchard has hit the nail on the head. The EU is trying to treat our country as Germany was treated at Versailles after the First World War. Nigel Bladon
Poundbury, Dorset
SIR – No one seems to have noticed the threat to thousands of jobs in the Anglo-french Airbus project. With the wings made in north Wales and other important parts in Bristol, the final assembly in Toulouse will presumably not be able to continue economically.
What do the Rees-moggs of this world say about these self-inflicted disasters? Giles W Smith
Wooburn Green, Buckinghamshire
SIR –How unlucky can you get? At the point when the country needed some carefully considered policy-making, we got Tony Blair and the Iraq war.
Now that we need some bold leadership from a prime minister with vision, we get Theresa May.
Is there no justice? Alan Cumming
Stratford-upon-avon, Warwickshire