Sir, – Prof James Anderson's opinion piece (July 31st) deserves wider circulation in England where there is widespread misunderstanding of the backstop. Compounding the misinformation, a British newspaper associated with Boris Johnson has been publishing a sequence of articles vilifying the Taoiseach for creating the backstop as a deliberate ploy to prevent the UK leaving the EU and thus attributing the blame to Leo Varadkar for no deal.
The British public needs to be reminded that the current backstop incorporating the entire UK was the creation of Theresa May and not Mr Varadkar. The original backstop proposed by the EU and initially agreed by the UK negotiating team, but subsequently overruled by Mrs May, would have been universally acceptable except for the 10 members of the DUP on whom Mrs May was dependent.
Prof Anderson has pointed out that a reversion to the original backstop provides a simple solution to Brexit.
The DUP objection is invalid as it is contrary to the expressed wishes of the public and business and farming organisations in Northern Ireland. – Yours, etc,
DAVID CLARKE,
Petworth, West Sussex.
Sir, – Is it possible that the new British prime minister has watched the movie Zulu too many times? – Yours, etc,
JOHN FAGAN,
Crookedwood,
Co Westmeath.