LETTER: Govt should have policies to appeal to all

Dear Editor,
The Government get a lot of unfair criticism, but they have policies which should appeal to everyone irrespective of their views.

If you want economic growth, they say they do too, but if you don’t, you’ll be reassured that in reality the economy is flatlining.

They say they are the party of low taxes, but the reality is that they are the highest for 80 years.

If you want lower immigration, the Government says it targets 100,000 a year, but in 2023 the Government issued 1,400,000 visas, fourteen times as many.

If you want to tackle the Channel boats, Rishi Sunak says that’s one of his pledges, the number so far in 2024 is actually higher than the same period last year.

If you think the Government should get more revenue from VAT, Conservative Governments in recent decades have doubled it to 20% on most things YOU buy, but the Tories charge 0% on the fees for the private schools THEY send their own children to.

If you were horrified by the economic chaos of Liz Truss’s unfunded tax cuts, Rishi Sunak says he was too, but the Government has just announced a totally unfunded £46 billion plan to abolish National Insurance.

If you support stronger defences, the Government says it will increase the amount it spends, but under the Tories the Army is smaller than in the Eighteenth Century and Navy ships are mothballed for lack of sailors.

If you are worried about potholes, the Government say they are fixing them, but the roads are worse every year, and there is no sign of adequate funding for local Councils.

The Council Tax here is twice as high as in Westminster, is an MP who lives in the South best placed to sort this out?

If you want shorter waiting lists, the Tories say the NHS is safe in their hands, but waiting lists have tripled under this Government.

There are policies and positions here to suit every taste, but after 14 years in charge, the reality is different.

Yours,

Phil Tate
Chester