‘Project Fear’ has proved well-founded

EU ‘leavers’ really must take responsibility for the consequences of their decision to vote leave, especially as we are assured that they knew exactly what they were voting for.

Mr Kynaston, in a recent letter, complains that the French and the Dutch are holding up our exports to the EU as a result of protectionism. Did we seriously believe that we would be able to carry as we had before we left the single market? That we would be able to enjoy the same advantages as members?

Concerns about difficulties of the kind that our exporters and hauliers are now facing – airily dismissed in some quarters as ‘Project Fear’ – seem to have proved all too wellfounded. It is to be hoped that they are merely temporary. Problems of this nature were, I imagine, identified before the Prime Minister signed us up to his much-vaunted ‘frictionless’ trade deal, yet still we signed.

We now have the embarrassing spectacle of senior ministers sabrerattling at the EU because they do not like the results of what their own administration has agreed.

I have no doubt that there is an element of protectionism around the single market. No surprises there – few countries fail to protect their economic interests. But we have put ourselves beyond that protection.

By leaving the single market, we are subject to the same rules as any other third-party state. We surely knew that before we left. Now we must live with the consequences, ‘leavers’ and ‘remainers’ alike.

P J Knowles Taunton, Somerset