Theresa May’s decision to let Huawei build the UK’s 5G network is yet more proof of her incompetence

I note with some incredulity that Theresa May has decided to award the contract to build the UK’s 5G network to Chinese telecoms giant Huawei, despite the very serious security concerns expressed by pretty much everybody. Are we to presume that this is her idea of a “global Britain” free to strike deals with the rest of the world?

It looks as though, after months of having to deal with rogue and extremist elements in her ranks, the pressure has finally got to her. Never mind no-confidence votes, her party may want to consider retiring the prime minister for the sake of her own mental health.

Julian Self
Milton Keynes

A rudderless vessel

Some Brexiteers have compared the EU to the Titanic and Brexit as the UK’s lifeboat. Not a good analogy given that the Titanic had left Europe and went down heading for the US – the course that Tory Brexiteers want to take us. Hence Trump’s visit to the UK to pave the way for closer trade ties.

It’s the UK that’s heading for disaster. We’re a rudderless vessel under captain May, who, in pursuit of Brexit, looks determined to take us all down with her. A Final Say referendum could rescue us. But parliament seems incapable of launching this lifeboat despite the distress flares going up from virtually every sector of the economy.

Roger Hinds
Surrey

Don’t blame the EU

Now the Brexit merry-go-round has started turning again, it is time for Theresa May to be honest with MPs and the country. This will no doubt be an anathema to her, but the country deserves it.

The Good Friday Agreement means there cannot be a hard border in Ireland. As there are no technological solutions for making the border checks required by EU law then part (Northern Ireland) or all of the UK will have to be within an EU border and will have to apply those EU laws related to border crossings even after a trade deal is negotiated.

The UK will not be able to negotiate independent trade deals because they may conflict with the EU laws.

The questions then become very easy. Is it better to leave the EU, but have EU laws applied in the UK over which you have no control, and EU trade deals over which you have no control?

Or is it better to remain in the EU and have a say over those laws and trade deals?

The blame lies not with the EU, which merely wants to uphold its laws; but with the UK for having signed a Good Friday Agreement which made no allowance for the UK leaving the EU.

John Harvey
Blagdon, Somerset

Porn pass cards

With regards to the porn age verification system that will shortly be implemented in the UK based around credit cards, if they don’t name them “Masturcards” then someone has missed a trick.

Alan Gregory
Cheadle, Greater Manchester

When will climate change matter to the government?

Theresa May was the only party leader not to meet with climate-change activist Greta Thunberg this week.

Thunberg, the initiator of the international Youth Strike 4 Climate movement, was in the UK to join Extinction Rebellion’s wildly successful protest over political indifference to climate change – a protest which has succeeded in paralysing central London for more than a week.

May’s disinterest in catastrophic climate change was highlighted by the empty chair at the meeting.

Then again, Thunberg shouldn’t worry overmuch about that, because when it comes to the PM, there’s always an empty chair – especially when she’s sat in it.

Sasha Simic
London N16

How is Change UK different from the status quo?

I thought the Change UK group couldn’t get more self satisfied, but with the addition of a member of the most entitled of families, the Johnsons, they are surely in danger of smugness overload. (Boris Johnson’s sister to stand for rebel Tory and Labour MPs’ group Change UK)

And by the way, why “Change”? In what way are they any different from other politicians?

Penny Little
Oxfordshire