Write to letters@thetimes.co.ukSir, Fraser Nelson (“This is our chance to be free-trade champions”, Apr 5) makes an elegant case for Britain to embrace global free trade while others retreat behind tariff walls. In principle, he’s right: retaliatory protectionism rarely ends well, and a nimble, open economy like ours stands to benefit if we can hold our nerve. Free trade, like free speech, only works if it’s matched by real-world protection for the vulnerable. You cannot ask people to celebrate cheaper imported goods if, at the same time, their jobs, services and security are hollowed out. Yes, let’s resist the lure of retaliatory tariffs.
