Growth of government

SIR – Rishi Sunak’s creation of several new government departments, with more civil servants and bureaucracy, bewilders me. Since when has the creation of a government department generated innovation? It shocks me that any Conservative could think this will aid growth in this great country.

Conservatives need to have faith in business people and innovators and give them freedom to create wealth. They should do this by providing a low-tax environment in which the frontiers of the state are rolled back, not extended even further.

This latest gimmick sadly leads me to one conclusion: the Conservatives are now more Left-wing than Labour. Daniel L Smy

Weymouth, Dorset

SIR – One does not need the job description, just the job title of Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, to know that Grant Shapps cannot do his new job. He is pursuing two inconsistent goals. Chris Gillibrand

Swainby, North Yorkshire