Derided by Brussels

SIR – We have had a band of MPs supporting the Prime Minister’s stance for negotiating reform from within the EU. He means to do so after a vote in the referendum to remain (Letters, January 23). I cannot understand such a naive approach.

I am reluctant to say this, but some advice from the trade unions seems to be needed. The first thing that they will tell you is that in any negotiating position you must have showstoppers at your disposal, such as strikes, or in this case, a real threat that you are going to leave the EU.

Merely to go into the negotiations saying what we want, but adding that we will remain anyway, invites derision from Brussels. And that is what we have got.

The only way we can add some teeth to our arguments is to ensure that the referendum recommends we leave.

Professor R G Faulkner

Loughborough, Leicestershire SIR – I was somewhat bemused by the letter, packed with sterling advice, by a bloc of Conservative MPs no doubt for the benefit of us humble Telegraph readers who may be less familiar with the Realpolitik of Europe.

They talk of a strong Britain in a reformed EU. But that EU will still allocate a large proportion of its budget to the Common Agricultural Policy, to support inefficient agriculture in France, Spain, Italy, and eastern Europe .

The internal EU market without tariff barriers enables Britain to run up a big trade deficit with the EU. Britain tries to offset this deficit by trading with the rest of the world, but is hindered in doing so by the EU trading bloc, which is not competitive in the world market and so is protectionist.

Britain has always been a great trading nation. Unfortunately the European Union has never been about global free trade.

Gerald Heath

Corsham, Wiltshire SIR – It would be much better to leave the EU now in an orderly fashion than to wait for the chaos later on when its inevitable collapse takes place.

Robert Dancy

Gillingham, Kent