Only a respect for industry will ‘level up’ the north

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Boris Johnson and Michael Gove in the driver’s cab of a tram during a visit to Blackpool Transport Depot on Thursday (PA)

Levelling up? Was it not mostly Conservative administrations which oversaw the decline of industry and associated decimation of northern communities, now so mourned? Yes, of course the coal industry and many others urgently needed to be modernised, and outdated trade union practices tackled, but the doctrinaire methods used in those grim days of the 1970s and 80s took little or no account of the consequences for real people.

The rush to “offshore” unloved, grimy industries, and the relentless pursuit of cost cutting, left millions of skilled employees destitute and support infrastructure without income. That legacy is with us still.

A few million quid and a couple of vote-catching announcements from a crippled Tory government will not have much effect. Only when respect for industry and its key place in society is fully appreciated will the north of England return to a position “level” with the currently bloated south.

Steve Edmondson

Cambridge

The launch of the much promised levelling-up agenda by Michael Gove failed to impress. Attempting to redress the 10 years of ideologically driven austerity measures with little more than a collection of minimally funded good intentions takes some nerve.

The impressive tome could best be summed up at best as an “omission statement”. It would have been highly appropriate if the announcement had been heralded by a chorus of off-key party blowers. I’m sure that there are still a few lying around somewhere.

Nigel Plevin

Ilminster, Somerset

Individual incomes should feature in any levelling-up process. The grotesque inequality in wages and salaries in the UK is shocking. There is also an urgent need to raise benefits to an adequate level.  Widespread reliance on food banks is a serious indictment of a society which seems unwilling to provide a guaranteed minimum for everyone.

The Rev Andrew McLuskey

Middlesex

Heating bills

Heating or eating? Rent or gas? Those are the decisions far too many are already having to make as the cost of living soars. Now, households are facing hikes of potentially hundreds of pounds in their annual heating bills.

We already know that credit card spending is on the rise, and that this is increasingly being used as a safety net for essential payments. The reality is that millions may now miss payments. The even harsher reality is that this will do longer term damage to their financial health due to an archaic credit system. This credit system is opaque. People are unable to access the data that will both help them understand what’s holding them back, and make the small but vital changes to move their finances forward. With pressure on consumers coming from all angles, it’s time this changed.

Alastair Douglas

CEO at TotallyMoney

Brexit – but with a new leader

If moderate Tory MPs stand by Boris Johnson now, they will be ushering in a bonfire of regulations and standards at the behest of ultra Brexiteers such as Jacob Rees-Mogg and Bill Cash whom he is now reliant on to keep him in place. It will take years to unpick the knotted mess they will create, which will mostly only benefit millionaire businessmen who bankroll the party.

These MPs must not assume this is also what the majority of the Brexit-voting electorate want. We must pull back from the brink now and continue to deliver Brexit with a new leader, but in a rational and pragmatic way. Otherwise, many protections that we currently enjoy will mysteriously disappear in the name of “progress” ie allowing companies to pollute, elude prosecution, water down employee rights, degrade food quality, ignore green policies etc.

Lynn Brymer

Kent

A question of seniority

You report that Tobias Ellwood is the most senior Tory to announce he has handed in a letter to the 1922 Committee. Jacob Rees-Mogg would no doubt disagree with me on this, but as the leader of the Scottish Conservatives surely that title should go to Douglas Ross?

Paul Kelly

Buckinghamshire

Ukraine

My memory of Ukraine some 10 years ago was of a nation split linguistically and theologically, with split geopolitical leanings. Yet there was one notion held in common by most Ukrainians: they wanted to live in an independent and united Ukraine.

In this may be the seed of a solution to the current stand-off. If a plebiscite were to be held in Ukrainian administrative areas (a complicated matter in itself), most of Ukraine would choose not to be Russian. The few districts who would secede would probably allow consolidation of the previous Crimean takeover, offering a victory of sorts to the Russian government.

It should be appreciated from the outset that this is not a particularly desirable solution. It will have been precipitated by aggression and  will no doubt involve a fair amount of intimidation and subterfuge.

Cole Davis

Norwich