The suggestion by Robert Jenrick that some of those who have migrated to this country have backward, “medieval” attitudes has been backed by Kemi Badenoch, the current leader of the Conservatives (Editorial: “Robert Jenrick should be shamed into withdrawing his remarks”, Tuesday 7 January).
This will only fuel the far-right activists who are anti-migration.
Meanwhile, the Conservatives have joined calls by Elon Musk for a new UK-wide inquiry into child sexual abuse, despite a wide-ranging independent probe having concluded its work in 2022.
Why is the opposition party calling for another inquiry when, after the seven years’ work of Prof Alexis Jay, they did nothing to implement her recommendations? Another inquiry will only further traumatise the victims and result in costs directed to lawyers, take years, and – should the Conservatives be back in power – kicked down the road again.
Musk is the de facto spokesperson for a megalomaniac president who is a known misogynist and predator of women. The Tories should be joining Labour in calling him out.
Robert and Zenobia Craig
Washingborough, Lincolnshire
Robert Jenrick has, in his own mind, identified men of ethnic Pakistani origin as a group with a medieval attitude to women, and proposed all those involved in the cover-up of child sex abuse be jailed (“Top minister tells Tories ‘put up or shut up’ ahead of grooming gang vote”, Wednesday 8 January).
Had he been able to see beyond race, he may have considered groups closer to home, with similar medieval attitudes towards women among some of them. The Church of England and the Metropolitan Police to name just two, few of whose members are Pakistani – and whose leaders have not been jailed when found to have covered up abuse.
G Forward
Stirling
Mark Zuckerberg has stopped Meta’s fact-checking programme and will rely on its users to consider content (“Meta axing fact-checkers on Facebook and Instagram to rely solely on ‘community notes’”, Tuesday 7 January).
Isn’t this similar to sacking firefighters and letting arsonists decide which fires are serious and what to do about them?
Dennis Fitzgerald
Melbourne, Australia
The prime minister was right to condemn the lies and disinformation that are polluting our political space, and to call for debate to be “based on facts and truth, not on lies” ("Furious row erupts over grooming gangs vote as Labour slam ‘sickening’ Tory move after Musk claims", Wednesday 8 January).
There is a readily available mechanism he can use to make his call a reality.
The Welsh government has already committed to introduce legislation to prevent deliberate factual deception by politicians and candidates. Breaches will lead to disqualification from, or barring from standing for elected office.
The measure has widespread public support – over 200,000 people have signed a petition calling for its introduction at Westminster, and polling by Opinium shows that 72 per cent of the public support it.
Democracy and the integrity of our politics arr under real threat. Serious steps and meaningful action are needed. We call on the government in Westminster to follow Wales’s bold lead.
Liz Saville Roberts MP, Plaid Cymru Westminster leader; Caroline Lucas MP, former Green Party leader; Zack Polanski AM, London Assembly member; Professor AC Grayling; Paul Mason, author of ‘How to Stop Fascism’; Jennifer Nadel, co-founder Compassion in Politics; plus 36 other signatories
“Alien cultures with medieval attitudes”? (“Tory race row over ‘alien cultures with medieval attitudes’”, Wednesday 8 January)?
Sounds to me like the US Christian right and the Roman Catholic church.
Julian Munby
Witney, Oxfordshire
Unwelcome to Britain
Unbeknown to many, American and Canadian travellers will now need to jump through new hoops to enter this country ("UK’s new ETA travel permit scheme begins today for non-Europeans – here’s what you need to know", Wednesday 8 January).
Jetsetters from 48 countries must secure electronic travel authorisation (ETA) to land on UK soil, with individuals having to pre-register and pay £10 for a digital permit.
From April, this requirement will later extend to EU citizens, where most visitors to the UK come from.
Requiring visitors to pay for travel permits is another burden tourism here could do without, and for those coming from the EU, is yet another example of the economic disaster that is Brexit.
Alex Orr
Edinburgh
Welshing on Brexit
As much as I would wish it were the opposite, I am afraid the reader who claimed Wales voted to Remain in the 2016 referendum is incorrect (Letters: “Not our Brexit”, Tuesday 7 January). Actually, 52.5 per cent of Welsh voters chose to leave the EU, and 47.5 per cent to stay.
Paul Dolan
Northwich, Cheshire
England was not the only part of the UK that voted Leave in the referendum. If Wales had indeed voted Remain, we would still be a member of the EU and not in the godawful mess we’re in now.
Geoff Penn
Attleborough, Norfolk
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