Dash for growth

sir – While Liz Truss was not yet born when Edward Heath was prime minister, her policy to “dash for growth” comes against a background with too many similarities to the early 1970s for comfort – stagflation, an energy shock, and dislocation from the European community.

She will now encourage a building boom (“New homes on protected land as PM rips up planning laws”, report, September 22) at a time when the price of building materials is through the roof, and, at least in our area of the South East, reputable builders have full workloads. In this context, tax cuts, yet more government borrowing and a sinking currency increase the danger of future inflation.

While history may not repeat itself, it is worth reminding younger MPS that the 1970s saw the Conservatives lose power to Labour governments, all equally ineffective in tackling inflation until a firmer hand and, mercifully, a flow of North Sea oil, helped to turn things around.

It took a decade. During that period, we endured a stock-market crash amid a property-sector crisis and the corrosive effect of inflation on company liquidity. The latter was addressed by stock relief and, ultimately, by inflation accounting, now seemingly all forgotten.

Rod Barrett

Bromley, Kent

sir – Liz Truss is right that we need to get growth going. Britain has been through Brexit and the pandemic. Add to these a new monarch and a new prime minister, and it’s like we are starting again. The message the Government needs to get our people to buy into is that their own contribution will make a real difference.

Richard Marshall

Stoke D’abernon, Surrey

sir – Would it not be better if Ms Truss controlled immigration rather than build thousands of houses on irreplaceable green belt land?

John Fagan

Fulmer, Buckinghamshire