SIR – Having heard Labour’s Shibboleth of ‘six economic tests’ to be met on Brexit before they might vote for it, it seems more like the red herring of some years ago under former New Labour, that of course being just five tests to be met before we could join the Euro currency zone.

But such conditions are always meaningless as they are only ever couched in such terms that would guarantee failure.

In any case, how can the government whose job it is to deal with Brexit go into any such discussions with so many rigid pre-conditions? I know from experience in a former trade union role dealing with employers and their associations at local and national level that these make meaningful progress impossible.

Of course everything to Labour revolves round the single market which it will be impossible to stay in on existing terms as its basic principle is free movement of people making any future control of borders and immigration unworkable.

EU businesses depend far more on trade with the UK than we do with them and I am sure this will be one of the important points made in the forthcoming Brexit talks.

D S Boyes, Upper Rodley Lane, Leeds