The Tories will never be the party of the working class

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Prime Minister Boris Johnson has promised a ‘levelling up’ agenda in the North of England (PA)

John Rentoul’s interesting article, How did Boris Johnson become the defender of working-class culture? (19 June), might have provoked a greater response. In reality, I don’t see the Conservative Party being any more sympathetic to “working class people” than the Labour Party.

The former is a party that, according to John Bercow, is “reactionary, populist, nationalistic and sometimes even xenophobic”. Its main aim is to do anything to gain and retain power. I think he is correct in suggesting that “levelling up” is another “empty slogan”. It plays well in the “red wall”, but whether it will survive the twin assaults of pressure from the treasury to reduce the Covid-inflated deficit and serious discontent from the “blue wall” seats, so as to have any meaningful and long-lasting impact, remains to be seen.

As for many Labour Party supporters, I don’t think they consider themselves better than anyone else or elitist. What I suspect many of them do feel, however, is a deep sense of frustration and bewilderment. Frustrated because a large proportion of the population has allowed itself to be persuaded that most of its quite legitimate grievances were the fault first of the EU and latterly the Labour Party. Yet it seems totally absolve from blame a Conservative government that has been in power for the last 11 years and which for the first 10 followed a policy of deep cuts and rigid austerity. Bewildered because it beggars belief that any sane individual could possibly conceive that Boris Johnson is the answer to anyone’s cry for help.

M T Harris

Grimsby

Can Rishi Sunak emulate Gladstone?

In his piece, Tension between Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak over spending isn’t necessarily a bad thing (21 June), Hamish McRae could have mentioned the government’s record of wasteful spending that has added to the budget deficit. That there have been several notable examples of profligacy under Sunak’s watch casts doubt, as revealed in December by John Rentoul, on his desire to emulate W E Gladstone in being “super fiscally conservative”.

Gladstone, as chancellor of the exchequer, successfully stood up to prime ministers against government spending he considered profligate. Will Sunak be equally successful? He doesn’t seem to have been so far.

Roger Hinds

Surrey

God’s voters

There is no limit on the numbers of professional singers or of wind players allowed to perform in an indoor location but amateur singers or worshippers in church have a limit of six. This inconsistency undermines confidence in the government. No wonder voters in Amersham failed to vote for the Tory candidate and a low turnout gave Boris Johnson a black eye. Church members in droves may well turn their backs on him unless he changes the rules soon and let them worship as God demands.

Jonathan Longstaff

Buxted, East Sussex

The great medical staff swindle

Suggesting that the recruitment of medical staff from developing nations (Letters, 21 June) is a beneficial thing due to remittances being sent back home is a most bizarre theory. Frankly, this smacks of an old colonial attitude that now independent nations should be grateful to serve their old masters by sending trained staff to the mother country (or someone else’s mother country).

Just think about it: doctor or nurse arrives here to begin a second class financial existence because they are obliged to return, let us say, 33 per cent of their earnings; the family back in Kenya of course are happy to receive the money; however if one of them falls sick and goes to the hospital where there are inadequate staff numbers then the money is a fat lot of use.

In all reality, the only beneficiaries are governments: ours because they can underfund the medical system and developing nations who have no incentive to improve the lives of their citizens due to a steady flow of foreign sent money.

Robert Boston

Kingshill

Planning reforms

As soon as the new proposed land grab legislation was mooted, it was pretty obvious it was going to cause problems, especially in places like Chesham and Amersham. It was clearly a cynically motivated ploy to keep heavyweight Tory donors, many of who are property developers, happy and on board the good ship.

These already multimillionaires care little for ancient woodlands, fields of wild flowers, fast disappearing flora, fauna, butterflies and endangered species like field mice and shrews. They are only concerned with acquiring even more money.

Linda Evans

Address supplied

Freeports

Boris Johnson made the announcement that he will create “freeports” in various locations around the UK, where firms will be invited to set up and gain tax advantages – despite the obvious environmental damage caused, and the unfairness to firms outside of the areas. Or was it “just talk”? Another pie in the sky, off the cuff proposal? Our former full membership of the EU, by contrast, in effect placed the whole of the UK in a market with so called “freeport” advantages.

However, if the scheme is to proceed, then the big question is, when? Five, 10, 15 years? How long would it take to set up? I suggest long after Boris Johnson is prime minister or indeed an MP. Therefore, it is unlikely to ever happen.

Richard Grant

Ringwood, Hants