I’d feel better if Chris Whitty was the one authorising the steps for lockdown easing

Please send your letters to letters@independent.co.uk

The Savanta ComRes survey you reported found 24 per cent of people trusted Boris Johnson “completely” or “a lot” to lead us safely out of lockdown for the third time.

I find this figure astonishing, emanating perhaps from the success of the vaccination program rather than belief in the man himself.

The fact that politicians are still making these critical public health decisions at all leaves me incredulous.

The latest political spin appears to be merely replacing the term “we will be led by the science” with “we will be led by the data”. I don't believe we should trust any politician with this responsibility.

Personally if Chris Witty had to authorise each and every stage out of the lockdown I would sleep easier.

Paul Morrison

Address supplied

Well done Boris Johnson for taking a cautious approach to easing lockdown.

Given that the vaccine is working and being rolled out at a good pace there is no need to rush into action.

The economy may have taken a hit but that can bounce back. What can’t bounce back are innocent lives lost through careless errors in easing too quickly and against scientific and medical advice.

To those wanting a faster easing, keep calm and be patient please.

Geoffrey Brooking

Havant

Retail help

Amid the vaccine roll-out, it is imperative that the government intervenes to ensure that retail, distribution and food manufacturing workers are offered the vaccine promptly.

These key workers have kept the country fed and have taken many risks to do precisely this.

As vendors, retail workers have to apply laws on age-restricted items and Covid-19 rules. Therefore the law needs to protect those who apply the law.

Finally, it would be hugely appreciated were the vaccination people to administer the vaccines at the retail outlets as many retail workers do not drive.

John Barstow

Member, Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers (USDAW) Executive Council

Life and art

A film in the Sunday TV schedules described a pandemic turning people into zombies. In view of the times we are living in, are we experiencing life imitating art?

And no, I didn’t watch it. Enough!

Pamela Hibbert

Address supplied

Patriot party

Given that the Republican Party in the USA has demonstrated its inability to separate personal from party interest, and has discredited itself thereby, perhaps we should look forward to a Donald Trump "patriot" party which will split the right-wing vote and help the Democrats to get their policies enacted?

Richard Lloyd

Dunfermline

You report that nearly half of Republican voters would back a party led by Donald Trump. This may well lead many senators from that party to regret the failure to impeach him. Are we going to see a splitting of the right-wing vote in the USA, keeping the Democrats in power?

Rather like the Liberal Democrat/Labour division of the so-called progressive vote has allowed a right-wing, Brexiteer government a free run in the UK, despite it getting only 44 per cent of the vote?

Adrian Cosker

Hitchin