THE other day I met a British citizen who had come to this country from Italy when she was 20, married, raised a family, worked, paid taxes and played a part in her community.

Shortly after the referendum, her six-year-old child (born and raised in Manchester) was asked when she was leaving to go back home. Brexit has a human cost.

Britain, punching above its weight as a leader of a powerful trading bloc of 28 nations, with global influence, widely admired for its legal system, universities and civil service, is in the process of quitting that organisation, without a plan or consensus.

We are engaged in tortuous negotiations to determine a future relationship which is known to be worse than the one we have now.

Britain is better than this. We should be bold and confident of our place in the world.

LETTER: 'We need to leave the EU'

Instead we are retreating to a mythical past at the urging of a bunch of commodity traders and public schoolboy chancers who are busy relocating their businesses and fortunes. It’s the 11th hour but it is not too late to hit pause, and take this back to the people.

DAVID MYALL Warrington