Those of us old enough to remember the referendum that led to our becoming members of the European Union, and the subsequent negotiated settlements initiated by Maggie Thatcher and later by Tony Blair, will recall that the UK was considered at the time - here and in Europe - to have negotiated skilfully very favourable terms from the existing members.

Strangely the many reported comments - such as those you published on November 19 and 20 - by those who supported Leave in the 2016 referendum indicate that their vote was cast in the belief that our prime ministers at the time had been out-witted, out-manoeuvred, and sold a pup, and that our politicians are no match for other European statesmen and the commissioners.

Presumably it never crossed the mind of Leave voters that for the UK to abrogate a binding international treaty of 40 years would involve our (in their view) “gullible” politicians in complex negotiations and the exchange of concessions, demands and compromises; and that as voters they would find the result as unsatisfactory as they do the original negotiations.

Is it remotely possible that they voted without really understanding the complexity of international negotiations?

Maurice Vassie,

Deighton, York

So what is EU really prepared to offer us?

Do the people who criticise Mrs May’s handling of the Brexit negotiations not realise that it is not just about what the UK wants, it is also about what the EU is prepared to offer.

If the EU gives in to all of our demands they know that some of the remaining 27 member countries will also think about a deal.

Spain for instance want what they have been after for years, Gibraltar. Are we to betray the people of Gibraltar to get all we want? I hope not.

Mrs May has to do the best she can and also respect the result of the democratic vote in the referendum. Critics take your heads out of the sand and take note.

AP Cox,

Heath Close,

Holgate, York

‘Penny drop’ claim only part of the story

Who said ‘why let the truth get in the way of a good story’? Christian Vassie (The penny is starting to drop for Leavers, Letters, November 20) quotes Nadine Dorries, but leaves out the whole of her statement.

She was actually talking about the deal by the arch remainer, aka the Prime Minister, and the fact that we would be signing up to a never-ending bill running into billions of pounds over which we would have no say, with new laws, and membership of the customs union still under the eye of the ECJ but out of our control.

The very next day we hear that the Spanish have Gibraltar in their sights, and the French still want to fish in our waters.

Instead of taking a pop at Boris and Mr Mogg, we should be asking Mrs May what do we get for our money under this wonderful deal.?

Keith Isaac,

Byron Drive,

Rawcliffe, York

May makes us want to count our spoons

Whenever I hear Mrs May repeat her monotonous litany ‘I am delivering the Brexit voted for by the British People’ when she patently is not, I am reminded of the old quotation ‘The louder he talked of his honour the faster we counted our spoons’.

A V Martin,

Westfield Close,

Wigginton,York