Amber Rudd is the best person to rectify the mistakes of the Windrush scandal – and if she does well she could be prime minister

The ongoing Windrush debacle is just the tip of the iceberg as far as immigration policy and control in this country is concerned. The policy is not suited to the needs of the country and the ongoing administration, and application of the policy is inconsistent and lacks transparency. The Windrush cases seem to indicate that this lack of transparency is deliberate, which is unacceptable.

Politicians of all parties are calling for the home secretary to resign. They do so for political reasons. I am all for accountability, but there is a mess to be sorted out here and I believe that Amber Rudd is the best person available to do it. If she fails, then hold her accountable. If she succeeds, she might just be the next prime minister.

Bernard Cudd
Morpeth, Northumberland

Perhaps the French could lend us Emmanuel Macron for a year or two, to sort out the appalling state of British politics. He even speaks more measured, literate and coherent English than our leaders’ silly, petulant and self-satisfied despatch box soundbites.

With prime minister Macron, the vast middle ground of British voters would then have a credible and inspiring leader to vote for at the next election, instead of the second rate, ideologically driven and depressingly uncharismatic individuals leading our two main political parties. Both May and Corbyn are politicking and muddling their incompetent way into marginally different versions of what would in either case be a disastrous Brexit for the UK.

As for the mythical golden future for post-Brexit British industry and trade, the Brexit jokers Davis and Fox should be reading what the Japanese ambassador had to say this past weekend, and for all our sakes they should be very worried.

Gavin Turner
Gunton, Suffolk

What is it with Donald Trump and holding hands, small as his are reported to be. First it was Theresa May “helping” him down some steps, now the appalling picture of him leading Emanuel Macron like a dog on a lead. It seems Melania is not the only one who doesn’t want to hold his hand.

G Forward
Stirling

The plastic pact announced by 40 companies is a good start but doesn’t go far enough. To eliminate problematic or unnecessary single-use plastic is obviously welcome, as is making all plastic recyclable and ensuring that 70 per cent is actually recycled. But I am very suspicious of the word “unnecessary”.

Where is the equally important commitment to replace plastic packaging, however easily recyclable, with non-plastic, more easily, less fossil fuel-dependant alternatives – and will we see an end to those infuriating combinations of cardboard and plastic that accompany so many products?

Why do I need bubble wrap and card when I buy a screwdriver? Does “ease of display” count as unnecessary? I hope so.

Patrick Cosgrove
Shropshire

Who else is sick to death of all the items many shops pile high at their till points, rendering the concept of a counter worthless?

It is absolutely impossible to set a shopping bag, handbag or purse down on many counters nowadays, and as someone with poor feeling in my hands and spinal problems it is becoming a real issue to pay and pack away my purchased items without extreme difficulty.

Added to that, many of these stores are now instructing shop assistants to offer (for that read “sell up”) a succession of these random items to every customer – cookies, large bars of chocolate, batteries, reduced items, seasonal goods... anything and everything.

In my experience, few people purchase them, and the assistants’ efforts to push them merely adds to the wait time for the queue of customers.

Retailers – for your customers’ convenience and ease please revert back to having a clear space at counters to enable us to pay and pack our shopping without the stress and difficulty currently experienced.

Judi Martin
Maryculter, Aberdeenshire

It isn’t, of course, just Amber Rudd’s boss to blame, but all the scores of home secretaries of all stripes since 1948 who, without exception, did nothing – either out of ignorance or because they didn’t care.

Windrush, like a boil, had to come out some time – it’s chosen to do so on the unfortunate Rudd’s watch, but please don’t let’s allow the hypocritical Corbyn or Lammy to rave and foam about this being a conspiracy by May.

Let’s just get this dealt with – leniency, kindness, listening and some rule bending are vital. Unfortunately the Home Office isn’t best known for any of these qualities. Sadly, I’m not hopeful.

Allan Friswell
Cowling, North Yorkshire

Tough choice for voters in local elections on 3 May this year – either the party that brought us state racism with the humanitarian Windrush disaster, or the party that failed to deal with sliding antisemitism.

But never mind – we have March 2019 to look forward to…

Amanda Baker
Edinburgh

How I agree with Maurice Curran (Letters) in his suggestion that honour killings should instead be described as dishonour killings. Similarly, instead of saying that a group has “claimed responsibility” for a bombing outrage, we should instead say has “admitted guilt”.

Madeleine Harvey
Surrey

I was shocked and horrified to read about our government’s treatment of Yvonne Williams. Barbaric and inhuman. What is this country coming to?

Hopefully, you will have a huge response to this article, and I wish to add my voice of astonished disgust.

Williams should be given a promise of permanent residence immediately and released from Yarl’s Wood today.

Asa Horwood
Chigwell

In one of those “odd news items” in a recent newspaper was the story that UK schools are removing analogue clocks from exam rooms and replacing them with digital ones as the students cannot read analogue ones and keep asking: “How long to go?”

Although perhaps amusing, it is one of the many examples of dumbing down something so that the indulged youth will not be stressed.

Perhaps, as well as personal responsibility, it’s time to bring back sundials.

Dennis Fitzgerald
Melbourne, Australia

The movement towards banning “meat”, “milk” and other descriptors from plant-based versions simply demonstrates how threatened companies and governments are by the success of these products.

Meanings evolve, context matters, and consumers aren’t stupid. They know a veggie version from an animal flesh-based one, but associations with the names of familiar animal-based meats and milks help create their gustatory expectations. No one who orders a veggie burger, drinks almond milk or eats cashew cheese feels they’re being duped.

Words change. Even in France.

More than that, the etymology of these words reveal that they have less to do with the animals than we think: in English, the original meaning of the word meat was “food in general” – and we still use that meaning today in sweetmeat, coconut meat and the meat of a nut.

The word underwent the same evolution in French. The word viande (meat) also originally meant food in general – not simply the flesh of animals for consumption. That word became narrowed over time, but its ‘root vivere’ remains, meaning ‘to live’. In its current usage, viande represents anything but life.

They can change the words but they cannot change the fact that consumers are increasingly choosing animal-free versions that provide the fat, salt, flavour, familiarity and texture without the cruelty.

Colleen Patrick-Goudreau
Oakland, California

It was good to see Exmouth mentioned in Wednesday’s travel section. We do indeed have a two mile stretch of golden sand, so it was a pity you used a picture of nearby Budleigh Salterton, where there is nothing but pebbles.

Geoff Beech
Exmouth

Why is the France-USA relationship enviable, as suggested in your leader? Who is being envious? A relationship with Trump is not to be envied.

Unfortunately you equate Trump with the US. Not a good idea.

Christine Porter
Address supplied

Your editorial says: “Trump sees it as simply another line in Barack Obama’s legacy to be wiped from the palimpsest.”

Nice try, but surely it’s a palimpsest only after the writing has been removed?

Chris King
London N3