Your leading article rightly stresses the importance of rethinking the approach to Brexit, but considers the outcome rather than the political mechanism (The voters have called for a different Britain. Business as usual is not an option, 10 June). Under the present system, a change in government during negotiations would be chaotic. Brexit negotiations will be extremely complex and their outcome will be critical for the long-term future of the country and all UK citizens. Brexit was not a party political matter and the idea that the negotiations should be left primarily to representatives of one wing of a party lacking a majority, overseen by a discredited prime minister, is a recipe for disaster. Somehow control should be restored to the House of Commons as a whole. A motion in the Commons proposing that the negotiations should be led by a non-political civil servant familiar with the intricacies of Brussels, reporting to a small cross-party group, would stand a good chance of cross-party support. It would separate the issue of Brexit from the infighting that is racking the Conservative party, now dependent on the DUP for its position in government. It would require compromises from the parties, but in this politically extremely unstable time compromise is essential in the national interest.

Dillwyn Williams

Cambridge

• Theresa May has not obtained the mandate for Brexit she was seeking and it is now surely pertinent to question the Tories’ right to sole ownership of negotiations with the EU. It would be far more in keeping with variable public opinion for this process to be overseen by a cross-party group of MPs (its numbers proportional to the size of each party, perhaps). This would ensure parliament’s involvement from the outset and with all subsequent stages – a topic that has much exercised MPs and the public, who rightly fear exclusion for their representatives under the present proposals. This is far too important a process to be decided within the narrow confines of one party. Is it too much to hope that our elected representatives will grasp the opportunity now presented to them and exercise the sovereignty of parliament for the sake of all our futures?

Gavin Lee

Bridport, Dorset

• Theresa May should now request a two-week delay in the start of negotiations (which would be granted) and spend the next three weeks in substantive cross-party talks aimed at reaching consensus on a revised UK Brexit approach in light of the election result. That having been done, she should appoint Labour’s Keir Starmer, an internationally respected lawyer, as a full member of the British team. All this would give us a much more credible platform in Brussels. On 8 June the “old order” on Brexit changed irreversibly. Mrs May has shown no sign of getting this – she urgently needs to do so.

Robin Wendt

Chester

• How I wish we could have Yanis Varoufakis conducting our negotiations. He understands the value of the EU and of remaining in it, but is cynical about the EU establishment and its motives and modus operandi. On Channel 4’s election night programme he outlined his view of the most constructive way for the UK to conduct Brexit negotiations: guarantee the rights of EU citizens already in the UK, put a reasonable offer in the economic interest of all parties on the table and then stand back, and aim for an interim Norway-type arrangement for the next six years, taking the heat off and giving everyone the opportunity to sort out what they really want the long-term relationship to be. He has the experience of negotiating with the EU for Greece and knows how they tick. On the home front, a cross-party team may not look easy, but the EU has the worse problem of negotiating for 27 countries with widely differing needs and aims.

Hugh Legge

Northampton

• The country needs a sense of stability and control. Why are we not considering separating the political position in the short term from the Brexit discussions? Would it not make good sense to put together an experienced and commercially astute negotiating team, drawing on excellence in industry? It could be headed by Mark Carney, the governor of the Bank of England, with Xavier Rolet, the CEO of the London Stock Exchange, and Carolyn Fairbairn from the CBI, with key figures from industry contributing, such as Carolyn McCall from easyJet and Ian Conn from Centrica. Irrespective of politics, these leading, professional individuals can talk to the EU with gravitas – they are experienced at making deals and can start to shape options for the parties’ future consideration. Once our political landscape is relatively stable, they can become a strong support group to advise, challenge and guide decisions to be made. It is hugely frustrating that we seem to be underutilising the intellectual capital we have in this country Speaking as an HR strategist, I would be willing to serve in any way that helped the country regain its balance – I am sure others feel the same.

Carol Mote

Southsea, Hampshire

• As an expat Briton who has lived and worked in Norway for the last 40 years, I have followed with interest the process involved in Britain’s decision to leave the EU. I have been amused to hear that maybe Britain could end up with a “Norwegian” solution. Norway, though not an actual member of the EU, is in most practical ways more of a member than most member states. As a member of the European Economic Area, it has incorporated more EU directives and regulations than many member states. Norway’s relationship with Europe is so harmonic because it knows what it wants from this special relationship, but at the same time is fully aware of the things it has to give.

Tony Whittaker

Strømmen, Norway

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