• THE government should extend the Brexit transition period for at least a year.

We should be focusing on dealing with the pandemic, medically, economically, socially and in every other way, rather than being sidetracked by trying to negotiate a new trade deal with the EU in the short time remaining.

Both the UK and the EU member states have, and should have, other priorities right now, including without limitation food security and medical supply chains.

Businesses, especially SMEs, have limited bandwidth and cannot prepare for all the changes that will be needed when the transition period ends on top of coping with the current crisis.

As SNP MP Pete Wishart told the paymaster general in the Commons this week, the Brexit transition and the Covid-19 crisis are together “the twin horsemen of the economic apocalypse” which will “heap misery upon misery”, stymieing the UK’s chance at recovery.

LIZ BAILEY,
WC1