Letter: I too am surprised to see Gavin Robinson getting chummy with Hilary Benn

Like Samuel Morrison (The DUP leader hit out at politicians flying in from England, then posed with one such politician, Letters, April 15), I was surprised to see DUP interim leader Gavin Robinson getting so chummy with shadow secretary of state Hilary Benn.

The latter is a man who told parliament that his Leeds Central constituents were unable to sell anything to the EU Single Market. (Hilary Benn should explain how businesses in Great Britain sell £166bn to the EU without the access of NI, Letters, September 8 2023)

When challenged directly he was unable to justify that absurd claim.

Nor could he - or the government - offer any numerical estimate of the economic benefit that so-called "dual access" might provide to Northern Ireland.

As it happens, Enrico Letta, a former Italian prime minister, has just produced a rather pessimistic report on the state of the EU single market.

It needs reform, he says, and as always with the EU the solution to the problems lie in greater integration, otherwise known as "More Europe".

As a condominium, with sovereignty shared between London and Brussels, Northern Ireland will inevitably be swept along in that process.

Dr D R Cooper, Maidenhead