Letters, contributions and comments sent in from Recorder readers this week.

Mayor is the face of the council

Colin Sweeting, Ashurst Drive, Barkingside, writes:

I have just received my latest copy of Redbridge Life, the free newspaper from Redbridge Council.

It should really be called Jas Athwal Life as he appears to be the main focus. Apart from his large photograph on the front, his photo also appears on pages 3, 7, 11, 13, 15, 17, 18 (twice) and 24.

The Mayor gets a photograph on page 31 and two councillors get to share page 27.

It should be the mayor that is prominent as the face of the council.

As Jas Athwal is hoping to be adopted as the Labour candidate for Ilford South it is wrong that he is using the council funded Redbridge Life newspaper to foster a personality cult to further his political aims.

Nothing to fear from no-deal exit

Will Podmore, Clavering Road, Wanstead, writes:

Mr Khan (letters) should note that Article 50(3) of the Treaty on European Union says that we will leave with a 'withdrawal agreement or, failing that, two years after the notification'. That is, we will leave with a deal or without a deal.

At the time of the referendum, the treasury was estimating that we paid the EU £350 million gross every week. It now estimates that we pay the EU £250 million gross every week. A billion a month may not seem like very much to Mr Khan, but it is still a billion most of us would prefer not to give away.

Mr Khan writes of 'the 99pc+ of our UK budget that is not delivering for us'. Does he really believe that all our public spending, even on the NHS, is waste?

Companies from every country outside the EU, except possibly North Korea, sell goods to and buy goods from companies in EU member countries. People who know about trade, and who sell goods to other countries, are not worried about selling on WTO terms because they do that already, with no problem. Lord Bamford, whose firm sells JCB diggers to 140 countries, says, "there is nothing to fear from WTO rules". We do not have to be in the EU's single market to buy from or sell to companies in EU member countries.

Mr Khan then shoots down his whole argument by writing that Brexit was never about a deal with the EU. Ignoring all the research into people's motivations, he alleges that we voted 'about one thing only - immigration'.

Objective, impartial surveys of people's attitudes have proven that Mr Khan's charge is totally unfounded. I suggest that he reads Brexit: why Britain voted to leave the European Union, by Harold D. Clarke, Matthew Goodwin and Paul Whiteley.

Where will these extra people live?

C A Rumsey, Cambridge Road, Wanstead, writes:

With reference to the letter from Tanweer Khan (letters) regarding Brexit.

Mr Khan points out that immigration was the main focus of the EU referendum,and he is right on that point. The population of the UK in 1994 was 57.4 million and in 2019 it stands at 67.7 over 10 million increase since 1994. We have the largest population of any country in Europe except Germany.

I would pose the question where are all these extra people going to live, be educated, get healthcare and get work?

There are seven countries out of the 28 where the population is shrinking, six of them in Eastern Europe. There are also seven nations that have applied to join the EU, so if they are successful they too will be able to travel freely to the UK.

Despite this he writes about a no Brexit. The referendum paper asked one question, should we leave the EU or remain?

Strange that in 1975 referendum 67per cent voted to remain in the EU and 33pc voted to leave, it is therefore right to assume that the UK population has drastically changed its mind.

On the point about contributions to the EU, very few nations make much of a contribution and Germany and the UK pay the most with many nations receiving more than they pay in.

Labour fighting like ferrets in a sack

Gwyneth Deakins, Wynndale Road, South Woodford, writes:

So, crime continues to be a major concern for Redbridge residents, the Brexit crisis continues and unsustainable overdevelopment threatens the future of Ilford.

But never mind! The Ilford South Labour Party are getting on with the really important business of the day, which is fighting amongst themselves over the parliamentary candidate selection like ferrets in a sack.

It is shocking but not surprising that Labour are yet again showing that they care not a jot for bettering the lives of local residents compared with their own internal squabbles. Presumably they think that Ilford South is a 'safe' seat which Labour can win no matter how cynical and vicious their campaigns and candidates are.

It can only be hoped that local people see through Labour's vacuous platitudes and recognise them for the self-interested hypocrites that they are.