A LOT of the Prime Minister’s Florence speech was boosterish flummery of the sort designed to appeal to the grand Remainer delusions of the SNP and leftist bourgeois pillars of the Establishment such as Tony Blair (“May accused of betrayal on Brexit olive branch gamble”, The Herald, September 23).

These people just cannot accept the democratic instruction that the UK lower orders delivered on June 23, 2016. On that day the working classes of England and Wales saved the country, just as the working classes of Scotland had done in September 2014. Equally seriously, the economics content of the Florence speech was unconvincing.

Mrs May acceded to the demands of the Remainers in two ways. First, she wants a free-trade agreement with the EU (but, correctly, eschews the single market and customs union). She will not get this, because Brussels, Berlin and Paris see it as a big threat to the continuing integrity of the EU. However, Mrs May holds an ace on trade but seems unaware that she could play it.

The UK could unilaterally declare that it will impose no tariffs on imports from any country, and not just from members of the EU (unilateral free trade). At a stroke, by abolishing the EU Common External Tariff around the UK, this would reduce the prices of UK imports (particularly of food and raw materials), and would force EU exporters to compete with third countries in the UK market at lower world market prices.

UK consumers would benefit, particularly the less well-off. UK exporters would still face World Trade Organisation (WTO) tariffs and the EU’s Common External Tariffs, but these have already been more than offset by sterling devaluation since the Brexit vote, even allowing for the recent rise in our currency against the euro and the dollar.

And Brussels would be terrified by the prospect of competition in what would become its biggest non-EU market, the UK.

Mrs May’s second error is to offer at least two years of full contributions to the EU budget after Brexit; that is, after March 2019, (and who knows what extra the EU will demand on top after that date?).

According to the Office for National Statistics, the UK makes annual gross EU budget contributions of £19 billion, of which about £4.5bn comes back as EU public sector expenditure in the UK, and about £4.5bn as rebate, leaving net contributions to the EU budget of just under £10bns a year (amounting to £480bn since we joined in 1973). We just do not know if the EU will still continue its UK funding and rebate for two years after 2019: it may not, meaning our net contributions would rise.

Whatever happens, the net contribution of nearly £20bn over two years for the benefit of other EU citizens amounts to an average imposition of £300 per head of the UK population, and probably at least twice as much per income taxpayer. Fortunately, the middle class income taxpayers (most of whom voted Remain) will have to pick up the tab.

Alternatively, we could pay it by borrowing and thereby adding to the National Debt. Then all those naive young voters who are so keen on the EU would have to pay the bill years hence. Ouch.

Richard Mowbray,

14, Ancaster Drive,

Glasgow.

IS it just me or was Theresa May’s speech a jam-tomorrow Florentine fantasy? It’s going to be really special yummy jam in a resilient jar with a sparkly new label. But who is going to grow and harvest the fruit, manufacture the jars, make the preserve, look after the workers, sell and ship the produce and under what trade rules? Ha;- the jam will be lovely tomorrow or sometime because she says so. Help.

Amanda Baker,

65/1 Saughton Gardens, Edinburgh.