Never has the moral integrity of politics in this country sunk so low

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

‘Do as I say, not as I do’ would be a better slogan for the Conservative Party (Stefan Rousseau/PA )

“Do as I say, not as I do” would be a better slogan for the Conservative Party rather than the present convoluted and mangled slogan sitting in front of Rishi Sunak.

Donating £100,000 to a wealthy public school and giving a £10 bottle of wine to a primary school raffle in his constituency highlights his lack of understanding of the lives of ordinary people. Using private helicopters for internal travel, rather than public transport, lays bare his lack of commitment to green issues and the environment.

How many remember his photoshoot opportunity, filling a Kia Rio with petrol? Were we really expected to believe it was his own transport?

We endure an unelected multimillionaire with no understanding or empathy for us, the rank and file. He stands behind and appears to maintain and support the unacceptable Suella Braverman and Lee Anderson, whose comments and stance fuel racism, homophobia and the war against the poor.

Never has the moral integrity of politics in this country sunk so low.

Dave Laws

Address Supplied

Far-reaching Farage

Ah yes, Nigel Farage, inconspicuous by his presence at the Conservative Party conference. It seems now just a matter of time before he rejoins the Tories and thanks them for moving towards the right. A well-planned long-term strategy helped by a lack of backbone from David Cameron. Now the country is going downhill rapidly. Naturally, he won’t help the Tories to retain power, but I don’t think that’s the plan.

When they lose ignominiously next year I imagine he will step forward as their saviour and the country’s saviour. In my view, it likely won’t matter that most of the problems were either caused by him, or by the Tories being subsumed by Brexit. When he stands for leadership of the party in opposition, he stands a reasonable chance of success; just look at the grassroots support. To me it looks to be a masterclass in how to hijack a proper political party, playing the long game, for your own ends, whilst the MPs stand idly by either through chronic inertia or belief they will benefit!

RIP the Conservative Party.

Robert Boston

Kent

A melting pot since way before the Tories’ time

It is with horror, primarily, that one reads of the beliefs of Suella Braverman and other Tories in relation to immigration to the UK.

However, there is a deep sense of bewilderment also at the complete lack of historical context by which these people live their lives. There does not seem to be any comprehension that the UK is already multicultural and has been for thousands of years.

If it’s not working, it’s not been working for a very long time indeed.

That these people, living primarily in England (a word derived from the “land of the Angles”, a people of southern Denmark) speak English, a language derived from Anglo-Saxon, can have such attitudes, is steeped in hypocrisy and irony.

England, and Britain to a lesser extent, was already a melting pot of Angles, Saxons, Norse, Jutes, Frisians, Normans, and others in the Middle Ages.

I live in Cymru, otherwise known as Wales, a word derived from Anglo-Saxon meaning foreigner or outsider. Ironic, eh?

The world is a beautiful melting pot of some 7,000 languages and cultures.

Let’s embrace them, as they make the world a more interesting place to live in.

Lestyn Thomas

Cardiff

No lesser evil

I agree with your recent contributor that the country can’t afford another Tory government but nor can it afford another Labour one. After all, the last time they were in power they increased the wealth inequality gap, left the country in debt, and did nothing about the North-South divide; all whilst we were part of the wonderful EU.

These two parties created the divide. Health and wealth inequality, the housing crisis and low wages have kept the working class down for decades, all whilst the rich got richer. There is no justification for their continued failures and neither deserve power ever again.

Richard Whiteside

Halifax

Simple maths

Jeremy Hunt asks why HS2 costs 10 times more to build than a high-speed line in France. The answer is simple, and obvious to anyone with eyes in their head except, obviously, the chancellor of the Exchequer: the remarkably high proportion of tunnelling at the London end. This was forced upon the project predominantly by Tories, and accepted from day one. Oh, and the far higher costs of consultation and enquiries that are already sunk costs.

And by the way, most of the tunnelling is in Phase 1 which will be completed, so the length now being axed is, mile for mile, much more comparable in cost with France and therefore with a far higher rate of return than Phase 1 that your predecessors, Mr Hunt, were happy to endorse.

Tim Sidaway

Hertfordshire