Social care changes will be remembered as Boris Johnson’s ‘poll tax’ moment

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

Prime Minister Boris Johnson might now recognise that his time is up (Reuters)

Boris Johnson’s social care changes are being sold as a fair proposal, since everyone is being treated the same, in terms of cost to them. As someone who lived through it, this is the same argument deployed by the Thatcher government to defend the poll tax. Technically true, socially irrelevant. I wonder if, deep down, prime ministers recognise the moment their fate is sealed?

Christopher Hart

Flitwick

The danger of anti vaxxers

With the unwelcome increase in rates of Covid infection across Europe, calls increase here to emulate their vaccine apartheid. In Austria for example, the unvaccinated can work in restaurants but not eat in them. Supermarkets are installing turnstyles which demand vaccine passports.

As a vaxxed person I am not worried about a minority remaining unvaxxed, but the behaviour of some of them – picketing schools in particular – is dangerous both for children’s health and a free society. It’s the thin end of a Chinese-style social credit wedge. The dreadful thing about anti vaxxers is that their behaviour is encouraging fair minded folk to endorse the very totalitarian state they think already exists.

Barry Tighe

Woodford Green

British citizenship – a right or a privilege?

The Home Office states that “British citizenship is a privilege not a right” (British citizens in Syria are not someone else’s problem – but our government seeks to abandon them, 21 November). As well as being a statement of breathtaking pomposity and arrogance, it is also one of ignorance, and is legally incorrect.

Not surprising from the Home Office under its current alleged leadership, I suppose .

John Lewis

Address supplied

Ukraine could be a tipping point

When the Soviet Union imploded in 1991, Ukraine had the third largest nuclear arsenal in the world. They took the brave step of giving up their nuclear deterrent after obtaining assurances from Russia, the US and the UK that their territorial and political independence would be protected.

If the UK and the US now shirk the responsibility of standing up to aggression against Ukraine, as they undertook to do when they signed the Budapest Memorandum in 1994, what message does that send to Iran and North Korea – countries which are trying to be persuaded that nuclear weapons are not necessary to ensure their security?

Andrew Spencer

Falmouth

Response to article on animal welfare labelling

I write in response to the opinion column by Open Cages CEO Connor Jackson, “We’re being lied to by deceptive welfare labelling on animal products” (Voices, 15 November).

Firstly, I do support the idea that imported food products produced to standards below UK legislation and Red Tractor assurance should display clear labelling to allow shoppers to make an informed choice.

However, Mr Jackson makes a number of sweeping statements about the welfare of chickens reared to Red Tractor standards which are false. He paints a skewed and deeply cynical picture of an industry that is deliberately keeping shoppers and diners “in the dark” about how the chicken they eat is produced to Red Tractor standards.

In fact, Red Tractor was created more than 20 years ago in the wake of multiple food scares, at a time when trust in British food was at an all-time low. Decades of work has established a safer and more transparent UK food supply chain, while simultaneously driving up farming standards and public confidence.

Knowledge is indeed power, but Mr Jackson neglected to explain to your readers that Red Tractor certified standards for chicken farms go above and beyond legislation in many important areas. For example, assured birds have access to 10 per cent more space than is required by European and UK law. They also have access to enrichment in the form of pecking objects, bales and perching to encourage natural behaviours and must have natural light. All staff are required to hold professional qualifications in poultry farming and each farm must have a health plan to monitor the health of the birds and to manage any diseases.

Protecting animal health and welfare is a top priority and we take any allegations relating to breaches of our standards incredibly seriously. We provide clear and rigorous standards for producers to follow to ensure robust farm management, whatever the size of the unit. There are also a number of ways to report concerns around our standards not being met, including our confidential “Tell Us” service. All reports are promptly and thoroughly investigated.

There are no consistent industry-wide or international definitions, terminology or labelling for food. Any labelling solution must be clear, easy to understand and available to consumers at every point of purchase or consumption. The Red Tractor logo is recognised by 78 per cent of shoppers. It is a certification mark which signifies that the food is British, and farmed to standards that cover animal health, welfare food safety, environment employee health 7 safety, training and much more.

It is important to us that our standards are truly widespread and don’t just apply to a select range of premium products. We firmly believe that regardless of budget, everyone deserves access to food that is traceable, safe, and carefully farmed, and with our scale and reach that is what we are able to provide. This clear labelling helps shoppers and diners make an informed choice.

Jim Moseley

Chief executive, Red Tractor