The cost of Britons’ failure to learn foreign languages | Letters

Theresa May meeting Chinese president Xi Jinping in September 2016. ‘After Brexit, trade agreements with China, Russia and other developing markets will lead to missed deals for the UK if negotiations are only conducted in English,’ writes Gabrielle Hogan-Brun.Government figures show that the UK economy loses about £50bn a year in failed contracts because of a lack of language skills in the workforce.