£5bn is too little for a New Deal

■ First Boris Johnson wanted to present himself as another Winston Churchill. Now it would appear he is channelling another wartime leader – US President Franklin D Roosevelt, with his so-called New Deal for the UK’s economic recovery from Covid-19.

What a feeble response at a time when grand ideas are called for. A piffling £5billion, some of it spread over 10 years, is nowhere near enough to kick-start our economy which is going into freefall.

Given the amount that’s already been added to the national debt, why not spend, say, another £100bn or more and, as well as improving existing infrastructure and the NHS, take the opportunity to move the economy in a greener direction? This would be a double whammy of creating jobs and helping to save the planet.

Come on, Boris, be bold! Gordon Pilkington, Epsom, Surrey

■ Boris Johnson wants to “build, build, build” in a bid to soften the “economic aftershock” of Covid-19. But as so often with Johnson, he’s big on rhetoric and short on wherewithal. He may see himself as modern Franklin D Roosevelt but with a budget of just £5bn, Johnson’s version of the New Deal is utterly inadequate.

Plus, his record on building is poor. As Mayor of London he promised to build the Garden Bridge but wasted £53million of public money without a single brick being laid. Boris the builder, can he fix it? No, he can’t!

■ While I welcome Boris Johnson’s investment in building schools, hospitals, road repairs and so on, such jobs will only create a fraction of those which have been lost in recent weeks.

Big engineering firms are laying off skilled staff while not everyone can work on a building site.

The job losses we are seeing now are sadly probably only the tip of the iceberg.

Unfortunately, Boris’s plan is a far cry from Roosevelt’s New Deal. Dave Mellor, Warrington, Cheshire

■ It’s almost satisfying to see that the Tories are adopting Labour’s policies to spend on infrastructure and creating jobs.

Of course, voters rejected Labour’s economic plans which included taxing the super-rich to raise funds, whereas the Tories are likely to raise everyone’s taxes, including those least able to afford it. We will also face council tax rises from underfunded authorities. David Bonomi, Bristol

■ Isn’t it time people stopped their criticism of the Government? Whatever economic measures are put in place, it’s never going to be enough to prevent job losses which are by now inevitable. I believe Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak have done their very best to protect as many employees as possible through the furlough scheme and bounce-back loans.

I seriously doubt whether Labour would have handled this crisis any better.

Steve Murray, South London

■ One thing is obvious and that is Boris Johnson is no Franklin D Roosevelt and his paltry £5billion is no New Deal for the UK.

Compare Johnson’s scheme to that of Germany which involves an £118bn stimulus package, or Italy that has agreed measures worth £50bn (Mirror, July 1).

To prevent mass job losses there can be no half measures.

J Harrington

Newcastle upon Tyne

■ While the Government’s plans for repairs to schools and hospitals are welcome, protecting and creating jobs in manufacturing and agriculture is essential as we won’t be able to rely on cheap imports from Europe after Brexit. Plus, we must replace industries such as car making which have gone abroad.

Helen Underwood Chesterfield, Derbys

It’s right to come together on Sunday to say thank you to our carers and remember the tens of thousands who’ve died from Covid-19. I hope though that people remember the many thousands who’ve died as a consequence of the virus.

I was unable to take my 95-year-old mother to hospital during the pandemic. GPs tried to cure her condition in the community but I knew she desperately needed to go to hospital.

Her illness worsened and she died from sepsis on May 26. My mother loved life – even at the end she fought on. Yet her life was significantly shortened due to Covid-19.

Kim Crosby South West London