Letter:Â

The supposed superstate champion, Mr Juncker, said: 'I am strictly against a European superstate. We are not the United States of America, we are the European Union, which is a rich body because we have these 27, or 28, nations'.

Those seeking such an escape must have a very low regard for the UK if they see us as a vassal state of this mythical EU dictatorship/empire and incapable of impacting on EU policy and practice. I've worked for three years in the European Commission, on secondment from the UK civil service, and besides experiencing the full accountability of the commission to our elected, member state governments, I also observed our own UK government and officials playing a leading role in developing EC policy and regulations. EU laws have not been forced on us: the UK voted for new EU laws 2,466 times and against only 56 times. We have gained much from our membership nationally, and through local initiatives.

Even Greece and Italy, who might have more justified reasons for anti-EU sentiment given the severe conditions on their European loans, have no wish to leave the EU, or Eurozone. UK views on Brexit are changing. People increasingly see the overwhelming evidence of the economic harm of Brexit: 53% in a recent poll see us as likely to be worse off, 19% as much worse off, and only 16% seeing as better off post-Brexit. Though this will be seen by those who refuse to examine the evidence as just another example of that fantasy phrase '˜project fear'.

Digby Swift

Sprotbrough