I HAVE to congratulate Phil Griffiths for his self-confidence in believing that ‘the 17.4 million who voted to leave the EU knew exactly what they were voting for’.

We know what we voted for Opinion, August 9 edition.

However, many of us cannot share this credulity.

Ignorance, misconceptions and downright myths about the EU abound and, we must concede, are not confined to one side of the debate.

One such example is the issue of sovereignty and the call to ‘take back control’.

Calculations of the extent of EU law vary massively and depend on how legislation is defined.

The higher figure of 62 per cent claimed by Business for Britain doesn’t distinguish between regulations and directives and includes laws that apply across all 28 member states but are not relevant to the UK such as laws regarding the production of tobacco and olive oil.

The House of Commons Library says that on very narrow and tight definitions the amount could be as low as 13 per cent.

To add to the confusion there are many EU regulations which simply extend those that already existed in UK law.

Moreover, the UK not only agreed to 95 per cent of all EU laws but initiated many of them.

Most of EU regulation relates to agriculture, trade and industry and the environment.

The substantive areas of criminal justice, defence, health, education and social services are largely beyond its remit and we should remember that we remain outside the single currency, the Bank of England retaining fiscal and monetary control, and are one of only two countries which have opted out of the Schengen Agreement.

The all important area of human rights comes under the jurisdiction of the European Convention on Human Rights of 1953 and whose signatories include almost every European country except Byelorussia.

Finally I have to remind Phil that 17.4 million does not amount to ‘the will of the people’ but represents just 37 per cent of those allowed a vote which significantly excluded many people who will suffer the consequences of departure such as 16-18 year olds and long established residents and workers from the EU without whom we would be unable to effectively deliver vital services.

It’s certainly not the ‘will of the people’ in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Paul Thomson Cheshire