Labour’s change of heart will be damaging to the UK

Firstly, we would be a vassal state of the EU, a rule taker not maker. We would not be able to sign any of our own trade deals which would be as it is now. This is not respecting the democratic will of the people. This has been expressed twice. The majority voted for leaving the EU in the referendum.

Over 85 per cent of voters in the 2017 General Election cast their votes for parties which clearly stated they would be leaving the single market and the customs union, which includes Labour.

Labour’s policy of shackling the UK to a customs union is at odds with the party’s concern for developing nations. The EU customs union imposes massive tariffs on external imports.

Take coffee, Germany is the third largest producer of coffee in the world and yet it does not grow a bean.

How can this be so? Raw coffee from places like Kenya are subject to a 7.5 per cent tariff, this ensures that poor nations like Kenya can never develop a value added industry which produces the final bagged product on your shelf. In short the EU customs union keeps the developing world in poverty and in need of our hand outs. True socialists do not support this form of capitalist colonialism.

It also follows that because of the EU customs union our food prices are higher in the UK than they need to be because we are subsidising French farmers and German food manufacturers. Well done Labour! Add to this the fact that remainers like Blair want to keep us in the single market with all that entails regarding lower wages for ordinary working men and women.

Finally, if you support Labour’s ‘new policy’ you are supporting the concept that the EU will control our trade policy, this is not the reason 17.5 million people voted to leave the EU.

Are you happy for a foreign power to rule over our trade, international relations and laws?

John Stretton, Albrighton