MPs have teams of people doing tasks for them – no wonder they have time for second jobs

Letters to the editor: our readers share their views. Please send your letters to letters@independent.co.uk

Boris Johnson has proposed curbing outside work to ‘within reasonable limits’ (AP)

In many cases, MPs are given assistance in managing their diaries, doing their casework, writing and answering letters, and even writing their speeches. Surely there is a strong case for reducing these allowances by the amount of income MPs earn from other jobs they find time to do?

Peter Reilly

Southport

Peddling tribalism

I agree with Heather Grey’s recent letter that the racism described by Azeem Rafiq is not surprising. But it’s not just the closet supremacists who are at fault – it is a fundamental malaise of our society, and our attitude towards competition and sport is at the heart of it.

Sport is an excellent, healthy pastime if it is practised in a spirit of friendly competition and as long as it continues to be fun. Watching people exercise their skills can be entertaining and uplifting.

However, it doesn’t really matter which team manipulates the small spherical object more successfully, does it? But that is the pretence of the money-making industry of professional “sport”. It appeals to the base instincts of tribalism in order to sell overpriced tickets and goods.

We should not be surprised that peddling tribalism in one respect encourages its more reprehensible aspects.

Susan Alexander

South Gloucestershire

Racism in sport

Now we are revealing the level of racism in cricket clubs, when can we look forward to exposing the golf clubs?

John Whittle

Penrith

Broken promises

I don’t want to sound smug, but several years ago I sent you a letter saying that unless HS2 was started in the north of the country, it would never be completed as promised. Just like the billions spent on Crossrail – the south, and mainly London, benefits. Once again we are the impoverished north and none of Boris Johnson’s bluster can disguise that.

Ken Twiss

Cleveland

Asylum help

Home Secretary Priti Patel has, once again, attacked lawyers who dare to respect the human rights of asylum seekers and has condemned what she sees as “a whole industry that thinks its right to defend these individuals”.

It seems to me that Priti Patel’s career has been a “whole industry” of anti-asylum seeker rhetoric and she clearly “thinks it’s right” to persecute some of the most vulnerable people on the planet.

Sasha Simic

London

Water pollution

The revelations by Ofwat and the Environment Agency are not surprising to the public who have complained for decades that untreated sewage has been fouling our waterways, coastal areas and beaches.

When I was in my teens my friends and I were warned by the landlady of a B&B in Hastings not to swim in the sea that day. She explained that “on days like this” it had rained the previous two days, exposed swimmers to “upset tummies”.

In my view, there has been underinvestment by water companies of foul water treatment and supply of fresh, clean water. Water companies have not invested and kept pace with the supply of water to the growing number of households, particularly in the south.

Since privatisation, many directors and officers at the water companies have been extremely well rewarded for providing a second rate service, now it seems with potential health hazards. Bosses must be held accountable with financial and penal penalties for non-compliance to health and safety conditions.

Keith Poole

Basingstoke