YP Letters: Outside the EU, we are at the mercy of Trump's trade wars

President Donald Trump has been accused of starting a trade war.

DONALD Trump was pleased when the UK voted ‘out’ in the EU referendum. As a businessman, he saw Europe as a strong contender to US business interests, and claimed that the US and the UK had a ‘special relationship’ – though it has always been on the American president’s terms.

Now he has slapped tariffs on our steel and car industries which will lead to thousands of job losses in this country.

The EU is the only economy big enough to stand up to Trump, and our withdrawal next year leads us into a weaker position.

The danger of trade wars is that they can get out of hand and lead to military war.

From: Ken Cooke, Ilkley.

BREXITEERS naïvely hope “allegiance will be shown towards the UK moving forward by way of trading agreements etc” from non-EU countries.

Currently being negotiated by the EU are deals with Australia and New Zealand. Are Brexiteers hoping to steal a march on these? Clearly the EU, with a population of 500 million, will strike a better and more comprehensive deal than could an individual nation like the UK with 60 million.

The clout of the EU strengthens the UK’s ability to punch its weight in international affairs. Strength in unity. The EU stood up to the US tech giants on their tax avoidance. Now the EU has implemented the ground-breaking General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), a service to all citizens.

From: Nick Martinek, Briarlyn Road, Huddersfield.

OH the irony. Donald Trump slaps import duties on a few steel products from the EU, and what does the EU do but run off and complain to the World Trade Organisation?

This is the WTO that Remainers tell us has no power, and is nowhere near as good as the EU, while sneering that the UK would be “crashing out” if we used the WTO. Actually the WTO may knock sense into both the USA and the EU.

From: Barrie Crowther, Walton, Wakefield.

WHEN Usain Bolt wins a race by a hundredth of a second, he still wins. When a racehorse wins by a nose it still wins and bookies have to pay out on the result.

With the biggest democratic vote in history, Leave won by at least a short head. Out is out, not half in. By objecting to every negotiation. Remain are handing second place the winner’s medal.

Not only that, we, the British people, are paying first prize money to the losers.