Madam,

I completely agree with Phil Griffiths when he calls for Parliament to debate whether to invoke Article 50, and urges our MP to vote against any attempt to invoke Article 50 and hence stop our formal, fatal withdrawal from the EU.

I would add another crucial reason for demanding that Parliament gives its authority to this monumental step, before the Prime Minister can pull the Brexit trigger, and that is one of sovereignty.

This was one of the key arguments of the Leave campaigners and supporters - they want full control of our law-making capabilities and full sovereignty for Britain.

Surely there cannot be a more demanding case for insisting on the use of that sovereignty to pass an Act of Parliament to repeal the Act that took us into the Common Market and to authorise the Prime Minister to initiate Article 50? Not even the most ardent Leave supporter can deny the absolute necessity of such an act of democracy and sovereignty.

When they do vote on this issue, our MPs will have to weigh their own conscience and judgement with the advice (and that is all it is) of the British public, as expressed in the very narrow majority who voted to leave in the recent referendum and, crucially, the way in which within hours of that vote, some Leave campaigners were back-tracking on and denying the promises they had made.

The NHS will not get £350 million a week when we leave - (“I didn’t say that” exclaimed Ian Duncan Smith, who had previously stood proudly in front of the bus and posters that said they would.

“It was a mistake,” said Nigel Farage. “Don’t expect immigration to fall,” said a pro-Brexit Tory MEP and so on.

Therefore the MPs, when voting on Article 50, must take into account the fact that the public were misled and the Brexit policy was mis-sold to the British people by the Leave campaign. Many of those who voted Leave now say they regret doing so.

Even if Article 50 is triggered, and when the prolonged negotiations on our future relationship with the EU are completed, I firmly believe that the British public, again on the grounds of national sovereignty, should have the opportunity to express its support or otherwise on whether that deal is acceptable.

This will include the detail of access to its free market, the free movement of people from the EU into Britain, our security, the actual payments to the EU we would have to make to enjoy whatever trade deal is offered, and how much is left for the NHS and removing VAT from domestic fuel and whether financial support, currently given by the EU for farmers, collaborative R&D and the poorest regions in Britain (including Wales) will be maintained by Westminster.

Such a vote, either through another referendum or a general election, will be essential if what is then on offer is not what the Brexit protagonists dreamed it might be and persuaded the small majority to vote for on 23 June.

I very much doubt that Britain will be able to have its cake and eat it in terms of trade and EU immigration controls as promised by the Leavers.

Yours etc,

Dr David Naylor,

Tan y Ffridd,

Heol y Bryn,

Harlech.

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