There’s a much bigger vote winner than tax or immigration

Your editorial is right that British elections are nearly always won in the centre ground rather than on the left or right fringes of politics. Rishi Sunak initially appeared as a voice of calm and moderation, and a manager of competence after the chaos of Boris Johnson’s administration and the lunacy of Liz Truss.

That he should now be hoping to win the election by pressing the two oldest hot buttons of right-wing demagoguery – tax cuts and immigration – is truly astonishing.

Surely what concerns most of our fellow citizens now is the collapse of public services in Britain across the board, and wondering how the next government is going to be able to bring about significant improvements at a time of great economic difficulty. One can hardly list all the different issues. The NHS and public health provision – and the ageing hospital estate; social services (for young people, the elderly, disabled, and disadvantaged); the squeezed educational budgets and the poor state of many school buildings; the prohibitive cost of travel and the mismanagement of transport infrastructure and services; the cost of public utility services; the almost complete lack of remedial services; and the disgraceful delays and backlogs in the administration of justice. One could go on.

It is a huge ask and may take years to sort out just some of these big issues under a very different government. It is investment, not tax cuts that will stimulate the economy to provide some of the funds needed.

Are Sunak and his friends so detached from ordinary life that they don’t understand this? They clearly haven’t a clue how to win the election, and they might as well go in May and get it over with.

Gavin Turner

Norfolk

I miss the days when we had elections with candidates like Screaming Lord Sutch and his Official Monster Raving Loony Party.

The days when we could have a bit of a giggle at the silly things he stood for, and the improbable issues he campaigned on. It was all a bit of a joke, bringing lightness to the stuffiness of politics.

Now, we have so many Screaming Lord Sutches standing for silly things and campaigning for improbable issues. We need someone to bring a bit of stuffiness back to politics!

Karen Brittain

York

I really think the Tories are missing a trick here. If they think they can pass a law that deems Rwanda to be a safe country, then why not also a law that says the UK is a country where wealth is evenly distributed, thus achieving levelling up in one go? Or a law that says the NHS is thriving and our seas and rivers are in pristine condition? Further laws could be introduced as and when necessary to improve the lives of all. It’s such a simple idea I cannot understand why it’s not been done.

G Forward

Stirling

The country is crying out for a general election and local councils are struggling financially. Elections are expensive to administer. Why doesn’t the prime minister call the general election for May to coincide with local elections, and save cash for essential services? He could even earn himself a few brownie points in the process.

Valerie Morgan

Leigh on Sea