SIR, I refer to the Article published on page 10 in the Border Telegraph of June 3 written by Andrew Keddie which is headed 'Kerr says EU exit would be 'absolute disaster’ for Borders.

Mr Callum Kerr MP states he opposes having an EU referendum and is already looking at ways to damage its passage through Parliament. I heard the same anti EU Referendum argument put forward by Christine Graham MSP in 2014 at the Walkerburn Village Referendum Meeting and I therefore surmise that this is official SNP policy. I would have thought that the Scottish National Party, having supported a Scottish Referendum, would be equally keen to see everyone having a say on the EU issue or is this just a little too democratic?

In his article Andrew Keddie quoted Mr Kerr extensively and you could easily delete the words EU and insert the 'Rest of the UK’ and I quote from the article, “Withdrawing from the EU, (RUK) would be an absolute disaster for the Borders and for Scotland, risking hundreds of jobs locally and making it more difficult to access one of our biggest markets”. “Those who wish to take us out of the EU, (RUK) are simply playing fast and loose with the future of the Borders”.

Borders businesses prosper by having 60+ million British customers on our doorstep and on our side. Buying British is crucial to us and therefore how you can support membership of the EU instead of membership of the UK is inconceivable. Mr Kerr we don’t all live on EU subsidies, (paid for by UK payments to the EU in the first place) and for most Borders and Scottish businesses the RUK is by far our largest customer.

Finally the Border Telegraph article finished by stating the SNP policy that all parts of the UK should have to vote in favour of withdrawing from the EU before the vote is binding. I wonder therefore how enthusiastic your Party would be if this also applied to all Council regions in any and all future Scottish referendums?

Mr Kerr, I’d be interested to read your response?

I am, etc.

Neil Ballantyne, Fountainhead Cottage, near Galashiels.