Let’s take control of our own future

Theresa May claims to be ‘driving from the front’, but the latest developments suggest that Brexit is being driven by the EU bureaucrats rather than Mrs May. The whole point of Brexit was to ‘get back control’ yet Mrs May is letting the EU walk all over her. She is now looking for an extra two years of transition before we exit the EU during which time we will continue to pay billions of pounds.

Labour has lost the last three elections because it failed to listen to ‘the people’ yet many of the MPs persist in looking to reverse Brexit.

The EU needs the UK more than we need them. The government should cease trying to deal with the EU and should set a date in the very near future when we stop paying any money to the EU and we should slap heavy import tariffs on anything imported from Europe.

Much has also been said about how Brexit may affect the future harvesting of crops as this very often relies on the recruitment of temporary seasonal staff. The obvious solution would be to employ UK staff instead of EU employees. Unfortunately this is not so easily attained. Firstly, UK staff would not be as cheap as they would have to receive the minimum wage.

Secondly, the chaos in the Department for Work and Pensions may well lead to workers not being paid Jobseekers’ Allowance for months after their temporary employment has ended and they go back to looking for other work.

There is another possible solution. Instead of implementing custodial sentences, many courts are now giving offenders community service. These hours could be spent on farms or in orchards filling the roles of the missing migrant workers. The cost to the farmers/producers would be less than recruiting from the EU - problem solved.

Alan Davis, Darlaston