It’s up to us all to make Britain a great success

NOW we have left the EU, it is time for all of us to stand together and make this country truly great. Politicians have to step up to the mark and give our businesses and services the means to prosper.

It’s time for our farmers and food producers to innovate and help Britain become self- sufficient rather than dependent on imports.

It’s time for our manufacturers to invest, research and develop to become market leaders again.

It’s time for our financial sector to show the world we are truly the place to invest in.

It’s time for every one of us to be positive about what we can achieve. Let’s show the world we really can be all we aspire to be.

DENNIS DAUNCEY, Saddleworth, Gtr Manchester.

Fix the North

CONGRATULATIONS to Boris Johnson for winning a thumping majority for his Brexit deal. It’s a victory for common sense and once again we are a sovereign nation.

Now he must turn his attention to levelling up the North. No more platitudes or soundbites — action is needed. Once this is achieved, Labour will become insignificant.

PETER RICKABY, Selby, N. Yorks. AFTER all the fuss, what a disappointment the Brexit deal turns out to be. It does little for our fishing industry and leaves the financial sector in limbo.

Frankfurt and Paris bankers must be rubbing their hands at the thought of rich pickings ahead.

Some say the deal makes them proud to be British. I feel ashamed of a stitch-up that had to be rushed through Parliament.

ROGER BACKHOUSE, York.

Remainers are patriots

HOW dare Stephen Glover say the UK’s departure from the EU is ‘a triumph for those who dared to love their country’ (Mail)? This is just the kind of divisive nonsense that has done so much harm in this country over the past few years. Being a patriot is not the exclusive preserve of people who voted Leave. I voted Remain and I love my country.

STEVE ROBERTS, Christchurch, Dorset.

Where is Nigel’s gong?

THE Prime Minister is rightly enjoying plaudits for getting Brexit done. However, this was made possible as a result of the efforts of one man who dedicated his life to campaigning for the UK to leave the EU, all the while suffering ridicule.

Why wasn’t Nigel Farage in the New Year Honours? This is a shameful disgrace that reflects badly on the powers that be and is a blight on a historic occasion. RODNEY BROWN, Prenton, Wirral. BORIS JOHNSON has played a blinder over Brexit. He said he hopes the New Year Honours list will inspire the nation, but I’m afraid it doesn’t.

Apart from two great footballers, Jimmy Greaves and Ron Flowers, the awards have gone mostly to two-bit actors who have done nothing but make a good living for themselves.

And where was Nigel Farage, who could be called Mr Brexit?

It’s funny that there are no awards for services to bricklaying, fishing, refuse collecting and other occupations that make such a contribution to the wellbeing and prosperity of the nation.

N. WOODS, Chilton, Co. Durham.

Third-rate honours

HONOURS are being awarded to the wrong people.

It is absurd to knight someone who is highly paid to drive a car. Neither should footballers or thirdrate politicians be honoured.

Those who do something for humanity ought to be the only recipients. The honours system should be scrapped if it is simply used to award those who benefit no one but themselves.

BRIAN J. CROSS, Hayling Island, Hants. FOR his prowess as a racing driver, Lewis Hamilton may deserve an honour.

But he left Britain in 2007 to live in the tax havens of Switzerland and Monaco. Knighthoods should be awarded to those who benefit only this country.

DAVID SPENCER, Bridge, Kent.

Not fit for purpose

I AM disgusted that a multimillionaire tax exile has received a knighthood. What titles have been awarded to the Oxford team who developed the Covid vaccine in record time? The honours system is not fit for purpose.

ANN MINSHULL, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffs. LEWIS HAMILTON is a great sportsman who is doing what he loves and earns a fortune. Why should he receive a knighthood?

Honours should be given to those who devote time and energy unselfishly to helping others without thought of reward.

K. D. WEST, Loudwater, Bucks.

I AM an F1 fan and admire the skill and achievements of Lewis Hamilton. I considered his earlier MBE to be well deserved. However, his social campaign, which I consider unfortunately divisive, has helped earn him a knighthood much too early.

Once his career is over, and if he undertakes a more balanced approach to social injustice, then the highest award in this country would be relevant.

Otherwise it feels as if it has been given away as lightly as Green Shield stamps.

RODGER FULLER, Woking, Surrey.

Resolutions for Boris

HERE are the key New Year resolutions for Boris: Cancel HS2 as people are working from home and the cost is out of this world.

Get rid of at least a third of the House of Lords. Shut the door on illegal immigrants.

Tell prisons to grow their own food, which would also provide hard work for inmates.

These would help make up some of the money spent on keeping people safe from the virus.

JILL COPLAND, Etchingham, E. Sussex.