Sunak is moving country forward

Sir, – Shock horror! A British prime minister has reshuffled his government and there were no leaks.

One minister, no doubt reflecting on polls saying Labour are 26 points ahead, told The Times “what’s the point ... we’re not going to win an election by changing the machinery of government. How does it deliver on our priorities?”

Perhaps the PM thinks he has nothing to lose and has decided to do the unthinkable and do what he thinks is the right thing.

Maybe it’s in the hope he’ll show progress on his five commitments of reducing debt, halving inflation, “stopping the boats”, growing the economy and cutting NHS waiting times; then the voters see that and he wins an historic victory.

I think he deserves a chance: in his first 100 days he has torpedoed the SNP like no other UK or Scottish politician in the past 26 years.

Inflation is forecast to fall, according to Martin Lewis mortgage rates may not rise as high as expected; the PM has created a process that enables quick resolution of the Zahawi and Raab issues, and hopefully he’ll push through legislation on illegal immigration.

Of course he’s been lucky, as a tremendous anti-GRR campaign fortified by a trans prisoner issue made his Section 35 bombproof and Scottish Labour’s capitulation has jilted their female vote. Also, an agreement with the EU is imminent on the Irish Protocol and Keir Starmer has offered Labour support, while headline NHS statistics may well show improvements.

Added to that, cyclical economic growth may enable him to honour his pledge of reducing taxes, and Liz Truss popped up over the weekend to remind us just how shambolic things could have been.

Every PM needs luck and events to go their way, so do the people of the UK, and I don’t see anyone else around who could do a better job. And, honest, ah’m no a Toary.

Allan Sutherland, Willow Row, Stonehaven.

The proposed site for a retail park in Banchory.