I find Boris Johnson’s support for Matt Hancock deeply troubling

While acknowledging the seriousness of the allegations against Matt Hancock, what seems to me to be of equal if not greater concern is the support of him, and the statement that the matter was closed, made by the prime minister, Boris Johnson.

Did he really consider that it would be right for Mr Hancock to continue in his ministerial role? Mr Johnson’s attitude says much about current standards of behaviour in public life, and should be a great cause for concern about the maintenance of proper standards (for whose maintenance he is supposedly responsible) in future.

John Lewis

Address supplied

I would like to express some heartfelt responses to the Matt Hancock situation.

I am appalled at the manner in which people trespass into the private affairs of our public servants. I think we are entitled to assess the performance of an individual’s public service but are not entitled to appraise their personal lives.

Mr Hancock has had an exemplary record in public service throughout the pandemic: providing immeasurable quantities of PPE to the NHS; developing and implementing the test and trace system; establishing the Nightingale hospitals; and rolling out an outstanding vaccination programme. Should these mammoth achievements under great pressure be subsumed under a minor infraction of regulations? Where is the fairness and balance in all of this? Compassion, the finest and most essential of all human characteristics, is conspicuous by her absence.

I am not defending Mr Hancock’s actions but rather Mr Hancock, the man. I am an older person and I am alive today because of his work. I am very saddened by the losses to Mr Hancock over the last few days and remain profoundly grateful to him for my life.

These are my most heartfelt views on this matter.

Patricia Worthington

Bridlington

Matt Hancock is proud to have prevented the NHS from being overwhelmed by Covid-19.

Let us not forget that, while Italy had live patients in the corridors, we had dead ones in the mortuaries.

Joanna Pallister

Durham City

Patrick Cockburn makes clear that gunboat diplomacy will not revive Britain’s fading power as a consequence of leaving the EU.

When will Johnson stop acting as if Britain is still a great power? This pretension ended 65 years ago when a former Tory prime minister, Anthony Eden, felt compelled to order a ceasefire for British and French forces occupying the Suez Canal following condemnation of the action by the USA.

France responded by embracing European unity, while Britain, in the words of Henry Kissinger (56th US secretary of state), “opted for permanent subordination to American policy”. Rather than regaining our sovereignty, Brexit has made us even more dependent on America.

Roger Hinds

Surrey

Fed up with politics? Welcome to “Noisy Sunday”.

Why is it that every Sunday is punctuated with petrol-driven noise? The continuous buzzing sound of petrol lawnmowers, strimmers, leaf blowers, chainsaws and hedge-cutters is just too much.

The noise is continuous and just when you think it’s settled down for the day, another wake-up bugle starts. No chance of a siesta, just more stress!

The world would indeed be a better place if it wasn’t for unnecessary noise for the majority of Sunday.

Sunday used to be considered a day of rest; not any more.

Sure, there is urban traffic, but even that’s too noisy, complete with older “souped up” cars burbling and doing doughnuts in municipal car parks and public roads.

There used to be an association called The Lord’s Day Observance Society.

We could certainly do with that now!

Geoff Rees

Suffolk

The match with Germany this Tuesday is a spectacle. Many retail workers take an interest in football or at least are transfixed by the occasional iconic match. 

Ergo, the main retail companies across the United Kingdom would gain a lot of respect were they to as a “one off” close their doors prior to kick off at 5pm this Tuesday.

A collective early closure this Tuesday would also makes rational economic sense. More goods would be bought beforehand.

John Barstow

Pulborough