Letter: Rishi Sunak linked the movement of persons on the island of Ireland and their movement between the continent and Great Britain, showing more concern about his party's crumbling support in England than about the integrity of the UK

During the Brexit negotiations we were repeatedly told that the EU regarded its "four freedoms"- freedom of movement of goods, persons, services and capital - as "indivisible".

So it would be illogical, and arguably a breach of the EU treaties, to control the passage of persons across the Irish land border, but do nothing to regulate the carriage of goods.

But Rishi Sunak has chosen to make a different linkage, between the movement of persons on the island of Ireland and their movement between the continent and Great Britain.

In doing so he has shown more concern about his party's crumbling support in England, than about the integrity of the United Kingdom and the future status of Northern Ireland.

The correct linkage would be this: if the Irish government want to restrict the movement of persons across the border, they should accept restrictions on the movement of goods.

The effect of which would be to return the customs and regulatory border from the Irish Sea to where it has always properly belonged, coincident with the international frontier.

Dr DR Cooper, Maidenhead, Berkshire