I am sure that the nice irony of John McDonald urging a rapid Brexit, whilst residing in Italy, will not have been lost on readers.

One just hopes that he has an Italian passport, since reciprocal residency arrangements have still not been agreed as we rush towards Brexit (courtesy both candidates for PM).

Otherwise he may have to leave his Italian paradise and come home as may other Brits now living in EU countries.

There would be many reasons to regret the departure of some EU citizens from our shores too.

One of these is mercenary.

The average EU citizen living in the UK contributes £2,500 more to our exchequer each year than the average native Brit (source: Oxford Economics).

It’d be a shame to lose their contribution both to our culture and our economy, wouldn’t it?

Let’s hope this madness is stopped in time via a democratic referendum of course – now that we’ve at least some idea what it is we’re voting for.

Geoff Holman Via email