The hard left of the Labour Party is only helping the Tories hold onto power

Harriet Williamson questions how useful it is for Sir Keir Starmer to have welcomed Christian Wakeford into his party and asks, “what’s the point of a Labour Party indistinguishable from the Tories?” (Editor’s Letter, 23 January). The point is that unless the hard left stops trying to run the Labour Party, we never can dream of a socialist government. It is the result of antagonism with the left of the Labour Party that has contributed to this country suffering from Tory governments for most of my life. The only fairly recent change was when the electorate was offered a centre way, with New Labour.

If we believe in democracy, we all deserve a Labour Party we can vote for, that we can trust, and that can work to deliver the best possible life for ordinary voters. The hard left purist attitude to politics constantly denies that to the people they profess to represent, by appearing unelectable. The Labour Party must accept the centre ground.

Jan Hitchcock

Leigh-on-Sea, Essex

The leader of the Conservative Party is Boris Johnson, a man who has a record of abusing Muslim women, Black people, working class people and gay men in print. In 2019, a Tory disciplinary board found Johnson to have been “tolerant” and “respectful” when he described Muslim women who wear the burqa as looking like “letterboxes” and “bank robbers”.

In December 2019, Johnson broke his promise to hold an independent inquiry into the specific problem of Islamophobia in the Conservative Party. In 2020, a poll found almost half of Conservative Party members saw Islam as “a threat to the British way of life”.

So I believe Nusrat Ghani when she says she is a victim of the widespread Islamophobia that infects the Conservative Party.

Sasha Simic

London N16

I read with interest Peony Hirwani’s article about Jacinda Adern (‘Jacinda Ardern cancels wedding amid new Covid restrictions in New Zealand’, 23 January). This is par for the course for Ardern, who instinctively makes the right call at the right time. She fully appreciates that she has to show an example to her people who are now facing new Covid restrictions.

It is a travesty that the Downing Street mob couldn’t have called off their parties/work get-togethers at the beginning of this dire pandemic. Lessons need to be learned tout suite and Sue Gray’s hugely anticipated report should hopefully be the conduit for this and then we, the public, will be fully cognisant of this unedifying debacle.

Judith A Daniels

Yarmouth, Isle of Wight

What a contrast between Jacinda Ardern, who has cancelled her own wedding to comply with New Zealand’s Covid restrictions, and Boris Johnson, who does not seem to let anything stop him getting his party hat on.

All of Johnson’s decisions are made in his own interest. Brexit was chosen to oppose David Cameron’s leadership and depose him in Johnson’s own interests. His Covid lockdown decisions have been made too late, easing up too early, simply to appear as one of the boys. After undermining Cameron, he now demands loyalty from his party. Loyalty is a concept in which he has never personally indulged.

Robert Murray

Nottingham

As the attention of politicians and the public is focused on the release of Sue Gray’s report, Grant Shapps defended the hapless prime minister on Radio 4 this morning, claiming that no one has the ability to unite the nation in the way that Boris Johnson can.

Is this another attempt at gaslighting the nation? Mr Johnson is brilliant at sowing division, as he proved to the delight of the Leave campaign of 2016. But unite? Where’s the evidence for that claim? When an individual regularly demonstrates that they are best described as a practically inept, opportunistic, self-serving chancer, who is not even on nodding terms with the truth, I (and I suspect many) wouldn’t, or more importantly couldn’t, trust Mr Johnson to successfully unite two halves of a Velcro fastener.

Nigel Plevin

Somerset

One argument by Remainers extolling the virtues of EU membership was that its strength would eliminate future war in Europe. How hollow those words sound now.

Russian troops will almost certainly invade Ukraine at some point. Putin has even hinted it will be soon after the Chinese winter Olympics end. Moreover, de facto EU leader, Germany, terrified that Russia will halt gas supplies, has discounted sending arms to the Ukrainians.

Yet it is actually the EU and western arrogance, encouraging Ukraine to join the bloc and Nato, which has caused so much Russian anger.

Jim Sokol

Minehead, Somerset