Despite Brexit, the government’s support of Nissan will continue to give away taxpayers’ money to the EU

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Nissan’s investment in the Sunderland plant will secure 7,000 jobs (Getty)

Nissan has agreed that they will continue manufacturing in the UK. The company’s decision is based upon a promise to Nissan from the UK Government that Nissan will be compensated for a probable 10 per cent WTO Tariff on UK cars exported into the EU.

This same promise will have to be applied to all other UK car manufacturers.

This will mean that our Government, without reference to parliament, will use our taxpayer revenues to cover a 10 per cent tariff on almost two million cars.

This “support” to this one industry could amount to four billion pounds per year.

Other industries will ask for the same degree of support or “compensation” if they are to stay in the UK.

And this money will have to come from the UK taxpayer – a taxpayer who protested about and voted against the cost of being in the EU.

Is this what we voted for?

If it is – then our decision will be an unbearable burden upon us as taxpayers and will cripple our economy.

Martin Deighton

Suffolk

Brexit and Northern Ireland

I read with interest the article by Siobhan Fenton on Northern Ireland and I would like to offer the following thoughts.

Given Northern Ireland’s unique circumstances, the UK Government should seek to negotiate a Customs Union for Northern Ireland with the EU, allowing for free movement of goods, services, capital and people. (There will be a financial cost for this; so be it.) This would prevent the need for a hard border with the Republic of Ireland. EU nationals in Northern Ireland seeking entry to Great Britain would then be subject to the same immigration rules as other EU citizens (whatever those rules may turn out to be).

On the question of EU funding for cross-border communities, this could be replaced with a joint UK/Republic of Ireland fund.

One could argue that as far as Scotland is concerned, a similar accommodation as that for Northern Ireland could be reached between Scotland and the EU. However, I would not want to see a hard border between Scotland and England. Removing a potential hard border in one part of the UK only to replace it in another part does not make much sense (either politically or economically). My preference would be for a Customs Union without the free movement of people, between Great Britain and the EU (to which we would all have to pay for.)

One further point is that the same scenario for Northern Ireland could also apply to Gibraltar.

Stephen Benn

Wiltshire

Today’s migration problems are just the beginning

Your report (Climate change wars are coming and building walls won’t help, top general warns, 27 October) that Major General Munir Muniruzzaman has warned about potential “water wars” and mass migration resulting from environmental degradation due to climate change.

He, quite correctly, states that international action to accommodate this migration is required since putting up barriers to desperate people will not work. He also points to the risks refugees take crossing the Mediterranean Sea as an example of how far people will go to seek a perceived safer environment.

In 1968 Paul Ehrlich, in conjunction with his wife Anne, published “The Population Bomb” which foretold all of these problems, including the sea level rise which would render parts of Bangladesh uninhabitable. Of course he and people who accepted his thesis were labelled as “Eco freaks”, “Doomniks” and no action was taken.

Now the chickens have come home to roost and the only action taken by the governments of countries that caused the problem in the first instance is a panicked “Let's put up barriers” response.

Given that a) Climate change and population growth are real and b) Mass migration is occurring, governments will have to adopt the policies outlined by Muniruzzaman and divert vast resources to those countries most affected to mitigate these potentially life threatening events. Otherwise, to quote Pt. Fraser “We’re doomed”!

Patrick Cleary

Devon

Will we wake up before it’s too late?

The WWF report (World facing first mass extinction since the dinosaurs as wildlife populations plunge by 67 per cent in 50 years, 27 October) is distressing and equally distressing is the apparent requirement to ensure every decision taken in our current world is 'cost effective'. If we must have selfish reasons to save our fellow species we do not need to look further than the misuse of many chemicals.

We are in the food chain and unless we wake up to the realities of our poisoned oceans, contaminated sea life and pesticide rich foods, humans assuredly will follow the predicted deplorable extinctions.

We can limit, control and monitor inappropriate use of pesticides, plastics and the many chemicals we know are creating havoc in the natural environment. There is a reluctance to do this for commercial reasons. It is difficult but not impossible. Will we wake up before it’s too late?

Jackie Slipper

Buckinghamshire

If Heathrow took years, why did Brexit take months?

The Government’s decision to give the third runway to Heathrow was made after years of expert consultation and deliberation, the very least such a momentous decision would require, although it will take a decade to put in place and will affect only a minority of the population. How is it then that the decision to leave the EU was made in a matter of months with no meaningful information, false promises, and very little idea what the eventual outcome might be? Is it any wonder Nigel Farage ran away when he realised what he had unleashed?

Theresa May will negotiate the terms for leaving the EU, and we will have experienced some of the financial turbulence involved. A second referendum should then be held so we can make our decision based on facts and evidence.

Heather Northridge

Lancashire

When the Heathrow expansion plan was being discussed some time ago, Boris Johnson said he would firmly oppose it and famously stated that he would lie in front of the bulldozers. Well why not Boris, you have lied in front of everyone else.

John Schluter

Guildford