Wise up to break Torystranglehold

INTO the welter of criticism for the Labour Party after the elections, let me strike some balance.

The NHS was nearly broken by a Tory government that let the virus spread unchecked; food banks which should never be seen in a rich country, are everywhere and the divide between the well off and poor continues to grow.

The poor are taken advantage of by the rich, our roads are in a terrible condition, the care crisis still hasn’t been resolved, while homelessness is rife. All this, under a Tory government.

That’s where the real criticism should be aimed, not at the different parts of the Labour Party. That’s where so-called one-nation Conservatism can be shot down and exposed for the lie it is.

And as for the idea of “levelling up” – it’s never going to happen. Peter Waverly, Penzance, Cornwall

The election results show Labour has to get out and listen to the people they want to vote for them, instead of holding meetings and committees whose members think they know what’s best. MPs and councillors must be seen and heard every week in the areas they represent and not only at election time.

In Derby we don’t see or hear from Labour candidates or councillors so how do supporters know who to vote for? On the other hand, the Lib Dems are out and about every week.

G Hunt, Derby

This may be a tall order but Labour succeeds best when it is a party for both working-class people and

left-leaning middle-class people. Sadly, the latter appear to despise the former and the former are rightly fed up with the muddleheaded priorities of the latter.

Labour can’t hope to win without both groups supporting it and until many of the middle-class realise the error of their ways, the party will remain in the wilderness.

Ian McDonald, Birmingham

I’m afraid that unless some earth-shattering scandal engulfs this Tory government, we won’t see Labour win for a very long time.

Johnson seems to have a hold over the British public. Keir Starmer is the right man for the job but must amplify his cross examination and keep the pressure on Johnson. Let’s hope Johnson’s misdeeds eventually catch him out. Hugh Igoe, Leeds

While I’m an admirer of Sir Keir Starmer, regrettably I don’t think

he is the right man to get rid of the far-left faction, which is the root cause of the state the Labour Party is in now.

I believe Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, would be a great leader for Labour who would be more than a match for Boris Johnson in Parliament.

R Tandy, Liverpool

I’m in total shock and disbelief at the voters of this once great country. I can’t believe they have been taken in by the slippery occupant of No10.

The NHS has got us through the pandemic, not the sleaze-ridden Tory government. I wish David Miliband would return to British politics and the Labour Party.

L Orrey, Nottingham

It seems the British people have been brainwashed. They vote for a dishonest person who refuses to give them a decent wage and takes away their rights.

Yes, the vaccine rollout is a success but who caused our high death toll by delaying lockdown?