Emma Raducanu’s success is an immigrant fairytale the Home Office doesn’t want you to believe in

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The teenager has enjoyed a sensational first season on the pro circuit (AFP/Getty)

I couldn’t agree more with the editorial on Emma Raducanu’s victory at the US Open. I hope this aspirational event will grab the attention of our government and Home Office, which do not appear to always attribute immigration with this type of life affirming story.

This young player comes from a diverse background, has extraordinary skills, and has indeed come up with the sporting goods. It is so important to see immigrants not as an homogenous group of people, but men and women who can indeed benefit this country enormously. The poor souls venturing across the Channel in leaky vessels, castigated as illegal, will still be men, women and children who, if given a fighting chance to settle in this country, will pay back in many unexpected and manifold ways.

The harsh rhetoric emanating from the Home Office places a mendacious mindset in people’s psyches, that these refugees are just illegal and are not worthy of our compassion, aid or support.

So yes, this is an immense story of resilience, sheer skill and consummate hard work. Emma Raducanu will have the world at her feet and her fairytale success did begin in Britain, with the proactive support of her parents and the Lawn Tennis Association. This is something we can all relate to and be immensely proud of.

Judith A Daniels

Great Yarmouth, Norfolk

No ideas or vision

This government is criticised for its failure to handle any, and every, problem without concern or care. However, more than that, it lacks ideas and vision for the future. Boris Johnson only thinks about what will make him popular, expressed in simple three word phrases.

With “get Brexit done” there was no vision of the problems that would mount after that reckless act of self-harm. With “levelling up” Johnson had to ask for ideas. Cutting £20 a week of universal credit from the poorest is not the correct direction.

It was obvious with social care he never had a plan and equally obvious he never will. He cannot envisage the lives of poor or ageing people. It is beyond his capabilities.

Immigration is a global problem, initiated by foolish acts by many countries. The UK must take its share but all Priti Patel can envisage is to push them back into the sea to drown.

With education, children have missed so much, but all Gavin Williamson came up with is using numbers and not letters to grade students. We could be on the brink of new teaching and assessment methods, but Williamson will still let us down.

We have in power, a bunch of people who have no vision for the future and all they want is to foster popularity and keep their jobs.

Robert Murray

Nottingham

Peace in our time?

I wholeheartedly endorse Steve Edmondson’s letter in The Independent. However, why should we expect our western political leaders to end the cycle of wars when arms sales are such a major source of income, either directly or through the investments of so many of their sponsors and supporters.

No doubt their counter argument would be that if the west stops supplying arms, the east will take up their share of the trade. In fact, both sides fuel conflicts and extremism with the supply of arms and ammunition.

Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Or as the Bible puts it: “The love of money is the root of all evil.”

Tony Shephard

Shifnal, Shropshire

Net gains

One of the biggest surprises at the weekend was that Boris Johnson hasn’t yet claimed credit for Emma Raducanu’s success. Maybe he is too busy working on his “levelling up” plan to install tennis courts in all schools.

Still, having access to the best education money can buy with outstanding sports facilities doesn’t necessarily lead to one developing great mental or physical prowess, as he well demonstrates.

Geoff Forward

Stirling

Act now on climate

The poem “My Country” by Australian poet Dorothea Mackellar contains the line “Of droughts and flooding rains”, as if this was unique to Australia. Maybe at one time it was, but the climate crisis has brought these events to many countries. Too often when I watch the news I see stories of destruction brought on by nature. I wonder how much of California there is still to burn.

Scientists have already confirmed the reality of climate change, but why are so many governments reluctant to accept and act on this, especially the Australian government?

We all need to change our ways before the climate crisis destroys our ways of living. Start now, not by 2050.

Dennis Fitzgerald

Melbourne, Australia