Wednesday’s Budget will not save the Tories

The prospect of tax cuts in this Wednesday’s Budget is no more than gesture politics: short-term, shallow electioneering from a government that has no commitment to the long-term interests of the nation.

Without a doubt, those who will benefit from such tax cuts will be those on middle and higher incomes, while those who have been impoverished by 14 years of austerity measures will continue to struggle, as the essential services upon which they depend buckle through continuous underinvestment.

All this is designed by a cynical government to garner a few votes from the electorate and make it more difficult for an incoming Labour government to stimulate economic growth. As most economists have been telling us for some time: increased productivity depends upon investment that should be encouraged by a government that has a strategic plan for the nation’s finances, rather than one that uses short-term gestures with no other purpose than to con the credulous.

Graham Powell

Cirencester

The people of Rochdale might be filled with dread and despair at the prospect of George Galloway’s by-election victory speech promising to build an alliance against the town’s councillors.

Presumably his target will be the Labour controlled council, which he will no doubt depict as part of an “establishment” working against local communities, conveniently ignoring the 14 years of Tory-led austerity that have deeply scarred Northern towns like Rochdale.

Populist promises to reopen the town’s maternity and A&E hospital services without acknowledging its close proximity to three major hospitals and the safety and staffing implications, or saving the town’s football team without saying where the money will come from, are simply unfounded and opportunistic.

These and other divisive promises will sadly only serve to undermine cohesion in a town that had built a reputation for good community relations, avoiding the riots that had erupted in neighbouring towns in the early 2000s and helped by the tireless work of the late Sir Tony Lloyd MP to promote communal unity in Rochdale.

Paul Dolan

Cheshire

I applaud The Independent for illuminating the salient truth that much work remains to be done to tackle the abhorrent and life-shattering issue of violence towards women and girls, particularly after the shocking revelations around Wayne Couzens.

Bullying, harassment, wage inequality and violence remain a problem globally and domestically. It is time we stop trivialising this issue and revolutionise a dramatic change of mindset across the whole of society to address abuse against women.

Dr Munjed Farid Al Qutob

London

I am appalled at both the abject lack of humanity shown towards often desperate people, as well as the huge waste of taxpayer’s money at a time when so many public services are desperate for funding just to survive (let alone provide a decent level of service). Many local authorities are on the brink of bankruptcy, the NHS is in meltdown, schools are struggling if not physically in danger of collapse and provision for the homeless is almost non-existent.

Even in the unlikely event of any migrants actually being sent to Rwanda, any chance that the scheme will act as a disincentive to migrants attempting the dangerous Channel crossing would seem to be delusional to say the least. Once again we are seeing a desperate policy in a desperate attempt to attract right-wing Tories to save the party from electoral armageddon.

David Felton

Cheshire

For the record, I agree with Ed Davey about the prime minister’s impromptu press conference this past Friday. Given the government’s track record, I found Sunak’s words hypocritical and opportunistic.

Joanna Pallister

Address supplied