Labour should back rejoining single market to end post-Brexit mess: Yorkshire Post Letters

HAVING highlighted on your news pages the Brexit red tape nightmares that firms are now facing, we need practical solutions – urgently (The Yorkshire Post, February 6).

Rejoining the European Single Market and Customs Union would – at a stroke – remove many of the obstacles to trade that Brexit has imposed on our businesses.

It is an “oven-ready” remedy and is, apparently, an approach that Boris Johnson contemplated after the 2016 referendum before he U-turned.

There are sound reasons why non-EU27 countries such as Norway and Switzerland – like Britain, geographically and economically linked to Europe – have signed up.

Realistically, it is probably too soon to expect the Conservatives to return to their pro-business roots. So, what about Labour? Will it do the job of an effective opposition party and show a way out of the mess that the Government has created?

Local elections will go ahead in May, we’re told. So, would this be a good time, perhaps, for the opposition parties to start offering a serious alternative to this government on the question of our relationship with Europe – giving existing supporters hope, rather than continuing to take them for granted?

From: Gareth Robson, Kent House Road, Beckenham.

I READ with interest the comment by Euan West of KPMG Leeds (The Yorkshire Post, February 4). One of his pieces of advice to businesses is that they should “look beyond the EU’s borders” for export sales.

He’s right of course but were they not doing this in any case?

Why on earth were they not seeking to sell their products and services as far and wide as possible? Did the scale and proximity of our local EU single market make it not worth their while looking further afield? Or were they just too complacent?

If the former, then why did we leave the single market? If the latter, it’s high time they gave themselves a kicking.

From: Alan Gill, Selby.

YET another negative front page story about some firms having problems dealing with the EU. Well, they have had four years to prepare for Brexit. If they are not able to sort out the paperwork after all this time, then maybe they should trade in the UK only.

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