Got something to say about men’s clothes? Just zip it

Letters to the editor: our readers share their views. Please send your letters to letters@independent.co.uk

I’ve been wearing quarter-zip jumpers – from Rohan, if your lifestyle writer Olivia Petter is interested – for at least 15 years (“Quarter-zip jumpers are fashion’s greatest sin”, Wednesday 11 December).

They’re warm, comfortable, keep their shape, and the shortened zip is perfectly functional: it allows you to pull the jumper over your head easily and helps keep the neck warm. I’ve crossed the Atlantic on a sailing yacht in one. Long-zip jumpers lose their shape and, after a couple of wears, look pretty scruffy.

It’s not about style – it’s about warmth and comfort.

Antony Robson

Westbury, Wiltshire

The tractor tax threatens our food security

The farmers’ Westminster protest highlights the urgent need for the government to listen to the challenges facing rural Britain (“Starmer and farmers locked in deadlock over tax changes after hundreds of tractors descend on Westminster”, Wednesday 11 December).

The Labour government’s refusal to reconsider its changes to inheritance tax is not only dismissive, but also threatens the viability of our agricultural sector.

As Winston Churchill once said: “To each, there comes in their lifetime a special moment when they are figuratively tapped on the shoulder and offered the chance to do a very special thing.”

Now is that moment – our government must act decisively to support farmers and ensure food security in the UK.

Alastair Majury

Dunblane, Perthshire

Why should farmland owners get a tax advantage? 

Accusing Keir Starmer of unfairness for addressing inheritance tax exemptions on farmland is itself unjust (“Loophole used by super-rich to avoid tractor tax unavailable to many family farms”, Wednesday 11 December).

For years, the Tories have worked tirelessly on behalf of themselves and their natural constituents.

VAT-free private education? Unfair. Non-domiciled tax status? Unfair. Wealthy pensioners claiming fuel allowances? Unfair. Pension schemes set up to avoid inheritance tax? Unfair.

And, yes, inheritance tax exemptions on farmland? Unfair.

These are but some of the gross unfairnesses that have been perpetrated on the vast majority of British people.

Farmland has become increasingly attractive to non-farmers who want to benefit from tax advantages initially devised to ensure the future of small farms.

So, when farmers drive their tractors through Westminster in protest, their immediate livelihood isn’t what is under threat, unlike that of steelworkers or carmakers. What we saw in Parliament Square was a metaphorical circling of dinosaurs.

David Smith

Taunton, Devon

Banning mobile phones in schools doesn’t work

On the surface, banning mobile phones in schools might seem like a simple, effective way to protect children from online harms (“Matt and Emma Willis: ‘I can’t see a safe way for a kid to have a smartphone’", Monday 9 December).

It’s an understandable response – especially given rising concerns about screen time, social media and the risks children face online.

But rather than viewing mobile phones as the problem, we should focus on how they are used. A blanket ban risks creating a “forbidden fruit” effect.

By gradually introducing children to age-appropriate online experiences, we can help them develop critical thinking skills and responsible online behaviours. This requires collaboration between parents, schools and technology providers.

Yasmine London

Online Safety Expert, Qoria

Dubai is no place for a holiday romance

It’s impossible not to question the imprisonment of Marcus Fakana, and our government’s poor response to his terrible sentence (“British teenager jailed in Dubai over holiday romance with girl” – Wednesday 11 December).

There is no suggestion that his relationship with the unnamed girl from London, who was 17 years old at the time and is now 18 years old, was anything but consensual. As both were British citizens, it is abhorrent that he is being punished for something completely legal in the UK.

A mother’s outrage at her daughter’s behaviour has condemned this young man to possibly years of imprisonment in a foreign land. I trust she’s happy.

Beryl Wall

Chiswick, London

EV drivers, stay in your lane!

I was surprised by the letter from the driver having problems with his electric car (Letters: “Jaguar’s electric shock”, Tuesday 10 December).

This Jaguar owner disparaged ever electric car because he was personally having a problem with his. Is that really a good enough argument to turn on electric vehicles?

Many people with all sorts of cars, both with electric and combustion engines, have mechanical problems that can take a long time to fix.

I have had an EV car for three years, without any problems. It is a lovely car to drive and it is cheap to run.

We have got to move away from using fossil fuels, and it is up to every citizen to make an effort, for the sake of our children and grandchildren. Please don’t be so biased when making wild global judgements based on your single experience.

Iain Baird

Address supplied