Sean O’Grady asks whether Susan Hall could become London’s next mayor. I highly doubt it.
She’s a pro-Trump, pro-Johnson, pro-Truss Brexiteer populist singing from Suella Braverman’s hymn sheet, and running to be mayor in a city that, seven years ago, was a quarter more Remain-voting than the rest of the UK.
Any sane bets will be in favour of Sadiq Khan for the win. The Tories have clearly given up on London, and with Susan Hall, they’ve handed Sadiq at least four more years of leadership. Good.
Sebastian Monblat
Surbiton
The BBC is Britain’s backbone
Thank you David Lister for a resounding and detailed defence of the BBC, at a time when even the quality press seems more interested in magnifying the importance of errors in judgement by the BBC – mistakes that will inevitably occur from time to time in any large organisation however well managed.
Media moguls and rightwing Tories are obsessed with an imaginary BBC political bias – typically where dispassionate reporting does not flatter their prejudices. And for these supposed crimes they would have the BBC closed down or progressively financially squeezed out of existence – which would suit their friends in commercial broadcasting very nicely.
They don’t know about or don’t care about the huge range of uncontroversial and irreplaceable work by the BBC in so many different fields. As David Lister rightly points out, the BBC is the backbone of Britain’s cultural life, not least in sustaining and promoting live performances of classical music.
Larger-scale musical genres like opera and orchestral concerts always struggle financially, and in the UK they receive very much less by way of government subvention than in almost all comparable countries in Europe. Without the wonderful work of the BBC, with its in-house orchestras, encouragement of young musicians – and much more, classical music would be under an even more serious threat.
Gavin Turner
Norfolk
Farage’s fibs
In addition to Rishi Sunak, the likes of Jacob Rees-Mogg, Suella Braverman, Priti Patel and Grant Shapps have all expressed outrage at the closure of Nigel Farage’s bank accounts by Coutts. Their support is perhaps summarised by treasury economic secretary Andrew Griffiths stating “It would be of serious concern if financial services were being denied to anyone exercising their right to lawful free speech” and if that were to be the case I believe few would disagree.
The reality appears to be that the redemption of a mortgage by Farage disqualified him from holding a Coutts account. It changed determining criteria under the company’s rules and disqualified him from their banking club. He has been offered facilities in the lower banking tier populated by the majority.
A course of action, and one seemingly proportionate to the offence taken at Coutts’ actions and whatever their consequences might be, is for Farage to sue the bank. Perhaps that route is essential to establishing the probity of both parties? The sooner it ends the better.
David Nelmes
Newport
The USA has no right to comment on Britain’s immigration policies
President Joe Biden has no right to pile pressure on Britain over asylum for the Afghan pilot facing deportation. Britain’s immigration laws are Britain’s internal problem. They have nothing whatsoever to do with the USA or any other nation.
When Afghan pilots took up jobs with the British Army, they knew the risk they were taking, yet they took the risk and were amply rewarded for it. Besides, with so many al-Qaeda cells secretly operating in Britain, what makes the US president think that Afghan pilots will be safe here?
Randhir Singh Bains
Essex
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