PM doesn’t grasp that our national sovereignty and EU customs union don’t mix

IT is incredible it still needs 13 ex-Cabinet ministers to spell out to Downing Street what a catastrophe a post-Brexit customs union with the EU would be.

Our PM seems, even now, not to grasp that above all a desire for national sovereignty drove Leave’s 2016 victory.

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And that such a move, suicidally cooked up with Marxist Labour, would sacrifice that for ever in a deal manifestly worse than our current one.

We’re unsure why Labour wants a customs union, except Corbyn cares nothing for global trade and presumably thinks it solves the Irish border issue.

But it also leaves the trade policy of the world’s fifth biggest economy in EU hands. With no voice in Brussels, but our economic future at its mercy, we would be the laughing stock of the world.

As Theresa May’s former ministers point out: “A Latvian MEP would have more say over our trade policy than anyone elected in this country.”

Even Remainers loathe the idea. So who DOES it suit? Brussels, of course.

Which is where our Europhile Brexit negotiator Olly Robbins spent yesterday.

Perhaps he was seeking asylum.

Fearful bunch

WE are agog at the nerve of Chuka Umunna’s new party accusing Nigel Farage of being too terrified to debate with them.

Given their respective poll positions the Brexit Party chief is entitled to swat the “no Change” brigade aside.

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But let’s marvel at their hypocrisy too.

Chuka’s Tory and Labour defectors refuse to face by-elections specifically because they fear losing their seats.

Who’s running scared? Them — of voters from the parties they abandoned.

Payback time

NATWEST now tops the shameful league of banks failing their customers over fraud.

Complaints against it to the Financial Ombudsman soared 62 per cent in a year.

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Some banks still deny refunds, claiming it’s victims’ fault if they divulge their account details. But scams are increasingly hard to spot. And TSB has proved its rivals are just making excuses — by reimbursing ANY customer unless they repeatedly fall for the same trick.

It’s time all banks did the same.

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Hacker attack

SO much for Facebook’s “secure” ­messaging service WhatsApp.

Hackers gained full access to some phones just by making a voice call. Users didn’t even need to answer to fall prey.

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Which illustrates how easily skilful and malevolent hackers can find holes in apparently impregnable software.

And how those who downplay the threat from China’s tech giants to our security and 5G network are making a naive mistake.