Keir Starmer is right not to overpromise

I read Andrew Grice’s recent column regarding Keir Starmer’s six pledges with interest. I appreciate that the verbally torturous run-up to the election will be a flurry of proactive statements and pledges from both major parties.

They have my sympathy, because I suspect that the public have switched off. However, I still surmise that Labour are ahead because the electorate want change, and that is the actual bottom line. Fourteen years and counting from a Conservative government, with more changing of the guard than is advisable, and indeed farcical, has left us all clamouring for Starmer’s promised stability.

Starmer is right not to overpromise, but instead to engender hope that life in Britain can be turned around over time, with careful and pragmatic governance. This is going to be a torturously long run-up to an election, which Labour cannot take for granted. Even political animals such as myself might find it a struggle to keep engaged.

But there must be faith that Britain can do better than this, and be better than this – and the sooner the better, with a new prime minister at the helm.

Judith A Daniels

Address supplied

In response to the letter in today’s newspaper, “Kick the Tories out of power for scapegoating trans people” – please can I say to the writer that I’m sorry.

I’m sorry that politics today seems to be run along the lines of “Who can we demonise today?” “Who can we target to try to scare people and win their vote?” “Who can we paint as the bogeyman by exploiting the ignorance of some of the electorate?” All backed up by the right-wing press, of course.

These are dark and scary times for transgender people, but I would urge the writer to please believe, as I do, that there are more of the electorate who fully support you and who you are.

Soon the election will be over, with (hopefully) the expulsion of the Tories, who treat anyone and everyone as a political football. Hang in there. This too will pass.

Karen Brittain

York

In your Sunday editorial, you write that asylum applications should be processed more quickly, so that those who are accepted as genuine refugees can begin to make a positive contribution to Britain.

However, the second step, that of enabling them to make such a contribution, is just as important, and requires investment, which is not generally forthcoming. Many refugees coming to us have good university degrees in their own countries, and many have occupied positions of considerable responsibility in public services and industry. But without a good command of the English language in terms of speaking, writing, listening and reading, their experience and talents cannot be put to good use, with the result that they can become a long-term drag on our social welfare funds.

Unfortunately, what we provide is half-hearted and minimal, since we forget that we have, in most cases, not just imported “refugees” but potential assets, and not just benefits liabilities (ie people who, due to their lack of the English language, are unable to find even the most menial jobs).

Like Finland, we should act positively, offering full-time free intensive language courses for those refugees wanting them, immediately after deciding to grant them asylum, so that after one year they are fully fit for the jobs market and less likely to require prolonged universal credit support.

Michael du Pré

Marlow

I share your disdain for this Conservative government’s fearmongering and anti-trans sentiment.

The percentage of trans people in the UK is so small as to be almost negligible anyway.

As a married man with a wife of 25 years and three kids, I personally don’t give two hoots who identifies as what, or care who they love.

I do care, however, that we are all decent law-abiding people who contribute to society as best we can, and do our best to get along, and treat each other as we ourselves would like to be treated.

People of all the world have more in common than they do in difference.

The fact that Rishi Sunak resorts to this gutter-scraping is more indicative of his lack of political achievement or future vision, and detachment from reality. When his term as PM expires, I hope he reflects on it and hangs his head in shame.

Mr Clarke

Essex