‘No job should leave someone so exposed’ says reader
I was shocked and alarmed to see Rachel Reeves crying during prime minister’s questions (Metro, Thu).
The chancellor was seen wiping away a tear after Sir Keir Starmer faced a grilling over a backbench revolt against welfare reform that left a £5billion hole in her plans. We all know politics is a harsh way to earn a crust but no job should ever leave someone so exposed like that.
I hope she’s OK and the issue that allegedly caused it is resolved – a Treasury spokesman said it was ‘a personal matter’.
I also hope the people said to be involved are able to reflect on what happened. Paddy J Cawkwell, Conisbrough
Criticism for Labour, compassion for Reeves
I’m no fan of Starmer, Angela Rayner or Reeves. In fact, I pretty much despise them. That said, I’m not going to derive any pleasure in seeing anyone close to tears. I hope Reeves feels better soon. Martin Lawrence, South Croydon
Reader suggests tasteless tears as Chancellor gets watery-eyed at PMQ’s
The chancellor shed some tears at PMQs on Wednesday. It was not over the genocide in Gaza or the countless children that the UK has helped wipe from the face of the earth through its arming Israel.
Nor was it over the two-tier welfare state that she has helped create, where her ‘balancing the books’ is on the backs of the sick and the disabled.
I think she was crying because the PM refused to answer a question about whether or not she might lose her role as chancellor. She was crying over a small bump in her lucrative career. Pathetic. Julie Partridge, London
Support for standing up to Starmer
Hooray for a government where so many MPs are prepared to stand up against the boss, their leader, for what they believe is right.
Starmer was forced to cancel his plans to reduce the number of people eligible for personal independence payments 90 minutes before the vote on Tuesday.
I’ve never seen the Tories make a stand in such numbers and no Tory chancellor would be in tears because none of them would care that much. Angela Singer, Cambridge
Roadblock in reform? ‘No one has a practical solution’
Regarding the current debate on welfare reform. While it seems that most politicians (including Labour rebels) agree that welfare reform is necessary, no one has yet come up with a practical solution to achieve it – other than the obvious options of cutting or reducing access to current benefits and/or restricting benefits to new applicants as was intended by this week’s original bill.
So, as a result of the government’s cack-handed approach up to this point – both on this and the winter fuel allowance – and the strident opposition of its own MPs, which has effectively derailed the current bill, the ‘financial consequences’ alluded to by cabinet minister Pat McFadden will surely be increased taxes for ordinary people in the autumn budget. Jeremy, London
‘Get on with running the country’, says reader
Once again we are subjected to the sight of the major political parties just ‘slagging off’ each other’s proposals. Why don’t they get together and get on with running the country to its best advantage?
This is what the British people need and expect from their elected representatives. Rob, York
Israel/Gaza casualties grow after Glastonbury
I wonder how many more people the Israel Defence Force have killed since rap-punk duo Bob Vylan led the crowd in chants of ‘death to the IDF’ at Glastonbury on Saturday?
This morning I saw that Gaza hospital director Dr Marwan Sultan, his wife, daughters and son-in-law have been killed.
That’s more to add to the tens of thousands, including many thousands of children, the IDF have already killed. This has happened under the leadership of Israel prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Appalling as what Hamas did on October 7, 2023 was, it does not justify Israel killing all these Palestinians, most of whom were surely not active members of Hamas – certainly not the 14,000 children the UN estimates to have died. George, Uxbridge
Reform UK Britannia card debate continues
Timothy Triggs (MetroTalk, Tue) takes issue with my letter saying Reform UK has nothing to offer working people.
He points to their announcement that they would raise the income tax threshold to £20,000. Frankly, I didn’t take this seriously, it being such a large rise.
And in defence of their so-called Britannia Card, which would allow non-doms to pay £250,000 to be spared taxes on their foreign earnings, Timothy says millionaires pay a lot of other taxes.
I accept Reform would know, since most of its leaders are millionaires! So let’s judge them by their voting record shall we? Minimum wage increase? Opposed. Employment rights bill? Voted against.
As I say – nothing to offer working people. S Coyne, Coventry
Salty soaks in ’76
Like Dominic (MetroTalk, Wed) I also remember the long, hot summer of 1976 and the drought.
I’m certain it also affected south-west Scotland as in July that year, as usual, I was on holiday in Ayr, staying with my aunt and uncle, and water use was restricted in the town.
What this meant was, want a bath or shower? Just nip down to the beach – no need for soap, the salt water is good enough! Robert James, St Albans
Perks of the job?
And with this week’s heatwave, all of a sudden, everybody is working from work, because work has air-con. Eddy, Hitchin
