UK gets much more in return

I would like to add a comment to the letter of Mike Southon, November 17.

Grimsby voted leave to regain control of its waters and do its own fishing.

Last week, the town sent a delegation to Downing Street, asking that the port be given ‘special status’ to remain in the EU zone after all. The reason is that Grimsby is a small port with a limited fishing activity.

A ‘whopping’ 90 per cent of its fish is imported and then processed in local factories.

Leaving the EU would mean tariffs on imported goods, delays at customs checks and delayed deliveries. The local economy would be ruined. Even if the locals went out fishing every day of the year they could not possibly match the colossal amount of fish they get from abroad.

The people of Cornwall also voted leave. They recently lobbied the government, asking to be given after Brexit the same amount of subsidies as they presently get from the EU. The reply was a firm ‘no’.

It would seem that many people voted leave without considering the consequences this would have on their economy and future. Brexiters say we are paying a lot to the EU. They fail to see that we get much, much more in return: free trade with the largest market in the world; subsidies for our farmers, deprived areas and development projects; grants for our universities, medical and scientific research, etc.