Parties and speeding penalties are low on the list of voters’ concerns
sir – The actions of those who are trying to cause more trouble for Boris Johnson over potential Covid breaches (report, May 24) – as well as those who have sought to obstruct the work of politicians such as Suella Braverman – tell us more about them than the individuals they are attempting to bring down.
To most sensible people, what these politicians are alleged to have done is irrelevant. Indeed, if they were just allowed to get on with things, they might actually do some good.
Paul Morley
Skipton, North Yorkshire
sir – Will partygate ever go away? Aren’t there more pressing problems?
The public are sick and tired of this. The only positive to come out of the whole affair is that, in any future pandemic, the government of the day will think long and hard before imposing impossible-to-follow lockdown rules on us again.
George Kelly
Buckingham sir – Well done to Rishi Sunak for refusing to submit to Civil Service politics during the Suella Braverman storm in a teacup.
It is high time the Prime Minister reminded Whitehall mandarins, in clear terms, that their departments exist to enact the legitimate policies of a democratically elected government, not to further their own ends.
Kim Potter
Lambourn, Berkshire
sir – The extraordinary fuss about Suella Braverman seeking advice from civil servants about speed awareness courses has shown how vindictive and anti-conservative are some of the advisers around her. But I fear it has also shown Mrs Braverman in a pretty poor light.
A five-minute search of the internet would have given her all the information she needed about whether she could take a speed-awareness course online at home. She would then have had no need to inflame the sensibilities of her not-so-civil servants, and would have avoided handing them a stick with which to beat her.
Christopher Wilton
Petersfield, Hampshire
sir – The recent undermining of Baroness Falkner by civil servants (Leading Article, May 24) is further evidence of the need for the senior Civil Service to be seriously reformed.
Either it should be made publicly accountable, or incoming governments should make political appointments at the higher levels. Allowing elected governments to be undermined by small numbers of politically active civil servants is detrimental to democracy.
Phil Coutie
Exeter, Devon
sir – If Boris Johnson had given civil servants, advisers and others firm instructions not to hold parties, would he have been accused of bullying?
Chris Rouse
Perth