I CAN understand why Germany does not want the UK to leave the EU. In 2015, Germany sold goods worth £25bn more than we sold to them.

The EU had a £71bn trade deficit in 2016 whereas the UK had a £34bn trade surplus with non-EU countries. The EU is in a downward spiral and obviously does not want the UK to leave as we probably subsidize the smaller countries.

So can I ask our Prime Minister Theresa May to place a fair amount of money on the EU settlement table and tell the other 27 EU leaders that the lady is not for turning. She should also say that our offer is not open for any further negotiating.

Can she also deliver on her promise to control immigration to 100,000 per year which would enable the UK’s infrastructure – housing, NHS, schools etc – to recover. I would also suggest that the UK should only consider suitable immigrants who we need to fill our skill shortages.

The UK should also invest in its own industries and technologies and its people should buy homemade quality products which have a much longer life opposed to poor quality foreign goods which are a false economy.

Ben Ord, Spennymoor