SIR - I can agree with John Pashley (T&A, December 4) that Philip Davies is a conscientious constituency MP, but like many of his Conservative colleagues I find that he often seems to be advancing his own agenda rather than the national interest.

In particular his support for our leaving the EU is extremely worrying for most of those concerned with overseas trade and industry.

Of course Mr Davies and UKIP will claim that because we are such an important trading partner, we would get a free trade arrangement anyway. As the experience of Norway demonstrates, however, this is not all it’s cracked up to be because for goods to be allowed duty free entry, they must be sold at a value which includes all the overheads implied by membership of the EU.

Norway is in effect an associate member of the Union even making a financial contribution to the social and economic cohesion fund but has no say in the way the rules are drafted. In the words of Lyndon Johnson commenting on his difficulties with J Edgar Hoover: “It is better to have him inside the tent looking out than outside the tent looking in”.

Brian Holmans, Langley Road, Bingley