UNHAPPY AT MP’S CLAIM

TONY Chilton (Letters, January 29) rightly draws attention to the decision by Jake Berry and Sara Britcliffe not to take part in the debate and vote on extending the increase in Universal Credit.

But I see that Jake Berry, who seems to be good at trotting out meaningless statements such as “levelling up”, claims in his column on 22 January that he “wrote to the Chancellor” calling for it to be continued.

He is banking that if the Chancellor relents, as I am sure many of us hope, he can claim credit for it.

However if the Chancellor does the right thing I am sure it will be more to do with lobbying by organisations such as Citizens Advice and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and by Church of England Bishops across the North of England than a back-bench MP.

Margaret Mellis via email