Tories are wrong on promises

The Walter Mitty world of Conservative politics moves on another step with the announcement that the Conservatives are proposing to opt out of the EU's Social Chapter and health and safety laws in order to reduce the red tape strangling business and public services alike.

Just like John Major, who promised to make a bonfire of red tape but then introduced more than 3,500 regulations in the following year because EU treaties forced him to do so, his successors live in a dream world far away from reality.

EU membership is not a pick and choose menu. It's all or nothing, unless you can persuade 26 other countries to amend the treaties.

If you have signed away the power to govern this country, you cannot make promises like this that you cannot keep and remain even remotely credible.

There is only one way out of this morass which is that defined by UKIP.

Leave the EU and join the European Free Trade Association. That way our elected politicians can make promises they are able to deliver on, we keep our freedom, our own laws, our constitution and democracy and free trade can continue on the best of terms.

Jonathan Carr, Shropshire