In your report on Jeremy Corbyn’s latest pronouncements (Corbyn confirms Brexit would go ahead, 22 December) you note his distinctly Eurosceptic approach. He says “if you want to regenerate an economy … then I don’t want to be told by someone else that we can’t use state aid”. But he and your reporter should both know that the EU does not seek to prevent state aid for regeneration. It positively celebrates it and casts doubt only on that state aid which privileges large enterprises and leads to unfair competition with others: do not, for example, use state aid to enable Peugeot to upstage BMW, but even that could be justified in the national interest. The EU is far more pragmatic than its critics would allow. If Jeremy Corbyn wishes to invest state funding in re-industrialising Brexit-supporting Sunderland, he should rest assured that the EU would be entirely supportive, and would moreover probably provide back-up funds of its own. Corbyn needs a better map to identify the location of his potential friends.
John Bold
London
• Jeremy Corbyn is right to say that Brexit would proceed if Labour won a snap election. The 17.4 million vote to leave was the largest in British history, in a referendum which was always couched as a one-off; there would be no calls for a vote-until-you-get-it-right re-run if remain had won. The party must not break faith with democracy and with its long-term voters, large numbers of whom voted leave, simply in order to curry favour with the footloose, the metropolitan commentariat, the CBI and Tony Blair. Labour would seek closer links with Europe than Theresa May would allow, while still honouring the referendum result.
Christopher Clayton
Chester
• If the young strive for no Brexit, they may well vote for the Lib Dems come the next election. This would split the opposition vote, and potentially allow the Tories in to create further damage to a once-respected, civil society. Under these circumstances, Labour would not win. Labour would do far better to act as an opposition, cement their support among the young and make the case for no Brexit. They would have nothing to lose and this could actually see them sweep to power with the certainty that remain offers, following the chaos of the Conservatives.
John Ellis
Tavistock, Devon
• The announcement that Corbyn would proceed with Brexit, were he to become PM, came as a hammer blow. Corbyn’s present strength is derived mainly from the support he receives from this country’s young people, rather than his own parliamentary party. He now intends to betray them. So much for listening to the membership.
Roger Fletcher
Hyde, Greater Manchester
• Following events marking the 100th anniversary of the end of the first world war, it has been almost forgotten that this month saw the 100th anniversary of the most dishonest general election ever – the one that brought in a government with the slogan Make Germany Pay the Full Cost of the War. This led to the Treaty of Versailles, which led to the collapse of the German economy and its inevitable results. It seems somehow appropriate that the anniversary should see a prime minister and leader of the opposition determined to obey a referendum noted for its cheating, lies and xenophobia.
Michael Bath
Rochester, Kent
• I am a long-term Labour party member and have voted and campaigned for Labour all my adult life. If this policy – to continue with Brexit – is adopted as the party policy in an early general election in 2019, I will not be able to work for or support the Labour party. For the first time in my voting life, I would not vote Labour – and would probably vote for a Green party candidate. This sentiment must be shared by so many party members who recognise that the leave campaign, funded and supported by far-right forces only now being fully exposed, is finally being shown up as the dishonest sham that it was. The recent negotiations only go to underline the disaster that Brexit will be to the British nation, economy, and people. Once May’s so-called deal has been defeated in parliament, Labour must join fully in the campaign for a new people’s vote, based on the real facts about the consequences of a Brexit.
Paul Turner
Welwyn, Hertfordshire
• Jeremy Corbyn is quoted as saying that 60% of Labour voters were remain in 2016. In fact YouGov found that the figure was 65%. As one of the 65%, I hope the Guardian will make sure its readers know the facts of the matter.
David Beere
London
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