We should have left Nato, never mind the EU

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Tensions between Russia and Nato have escalated in recent months (Getty)

Other costs of Brexit are yet to be estimated but the predicted savings will probably become net losses. And the pouring of £8.5bn of annual “savings” into our NHS is part of the tapestry of lies used to deceive us by the Brexiteers.

As a comparison: The UK's contribution in “overseas aid” is 50 per cent greater – standing at £12.5bn a year. This includes contributions to India where many of the world’s richest people retain their wealth and pay no taxes amid disgraceful poverty.

The UK's contribution to Nato is almost 400 per cent greater – £36bn a year. The US is insisting that this should be increased. It is the cost of this alliance that has led us into ill-considered, badly planned and often illegal incursions into Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya and Syria. The cost of those military debacles in financial terms is incalculable while the cost in human lives unforgivable. And these incursions are now flooding our neighbours in Europe with desperate refugees.

These are the realities. Have we got our priorities right?

Martin Deighton

Address supplied

Why aren’t we looking for the missing refugee children?

On 4 September The Independent reported that, over the past five years, 360 unaccompanied minors, who are refugees, have gone missing. I do not recall seeing a single photograph of one of these minors published in the national press in an effort to find them.

Bob Harper

Address supplied

Broken pledges by Remain need to be explained

Joe Watts tells us that Theresa May "would not commit to other key promises of the Remain campaign, such as removing VAT on fuel or giving freed-up funds to the NHS". I have to say to Watts that those of us who voted Remain did not believe for one minute that any "freed-up funds" would find their way to the NHS. That was, of course, the shamelessly dishonest claim of the Leave campaign, shamelessly blazoned on their Brexit Bus. Let's watch with interest how the Leavers explain that loss of (relatively small) revenue to the NHS (alongside other broken pledges) and let's try to be accurate about the key promises of each side.

Beryl Wall

London

The Government isn’t helping survivors of domestic abuse

The recent report on the levels of reported domestic violence, and deaths caused by violent partners is truly shocking. The Government, however, is not helping. Housing Benefit cuts will force refuges to close, leading to women being in a catch-22 situation. Balance the planned cuts to the Government estimate of £3.1bn in Housing Benefit going unclaimed and you have a massive social problem that will only get worse, risking people’s lives. Now is the time for bold changes to policy!

Gary Martin

London

Closing tax loopholes for multinationals

May I offer a refinement to Ben Chu’s idea to eliminate gaming of the system globally? A multinational’s global annual surplus (declared profit, transfers to reserves, dividends and bonuses etc. combined) should be divided in direct proportion to the sales in each taxation jurisdiction and tax levied accordingly. Fewer loop holes would be available this way.

Steve Ford

Haydon Bridge