Urgent action required

Sir, - If last month’s budget did one thing it revealed, at last, the true state of the British economy.

We have the lowest level of productivity in Western Europe.

We also have austerity, which is predicted to continue over the next 10 years and there appears to be little hope of improving people’s standard of living during that period.

We are also beginning to shine a light on the true cost of Brexit.

There are a number of ways in which we can quickly improve the country’s productivity.

They may not be popular but will be effective.

The first would be to end, by law, zero hour contracts in the workplace, except where it can be proven that such a measure would be detrimental to the success of the business.

Secondly, it should be mandatory for local and national government to source, where possible and if economically viable, raw materials and project management from local UK companies.

In both cases and, given the urgency of the situation, it will not be necessary to go through the various committee stages, but could be done though an “Order in Council”.

Since we do not yet know the true cost of Brexit and the mysteries that surround it, we should put any decisions regarding timescales back until such time as we know the full costs.

The Tory party got us into this and it should be the Tory Government that sorts things out.

The smokescreen of “driverless cars” and electric charging points, while laudable, are not immediate and should not get in the way of what has to be done.

Harry Wills.

Feus House,

By Cupar,

Fife.