No longer a remainer – I’m now a rejoiner!

THE reason that our food producers are having problems in exporting to the EU is not because the EU is being petty and small minded, but because we no longer have friction free access to the Single Market and the Customs Union.

We were warned that this would happen but we were advised by the likes of Mr Gove that we should ignore experts. Some large firms are now being advised to set up offices in the EU to help facilitate exports. Small firms cannot afford to do this and some firms may well decide that if they have to set up an office in the EU in order to export, then they might as well move their operations there as well.

As for the recent row over vaccine supplies, the EU made a mistake which was very quickly rectified. The manner in which the UK purchased vaccine supplies was permitted under EU trading regulations. Brexit did not speed up vaccine supplies.

In any case, the purchase took place during the transition period when the UK was still complying with EU regulations. There is no place for vaccine nationalism and it is vital that, in order to be fully effective, vaccines be rolled out on a global scale, otherwise the virus will continue to mutate.

For the sake of my children and grandchildren, I am no longer a Remainer, I am now a ‘Rejoiner.’

Martin White Exmouth, Devon