Letter: Manifesto for recovery

Sir: May I add another suggestion to your 10 proposals for national recovery (22 October)? Admit immediately that we made a very bad mistake by not honouring the passports of Hong Kong citizens who hold British passports. Accept that it was not only morally wrong, but a serious economic blow to Britain.

Learn by the example of Canada, which has not been so foolish and is already beginning to see the benefits of letting Hong Kong citizens in. Economic recovery is under way there as a result, with house prices, for instance, rising rapidly.

A similar open-door policy here in Britain would have helped bale out the one and a half million people whose mortgages are greater than the value of their houses.

Yours sincerely,

RICHARD BRANSON

Chairman

Virgin Group of Companies

London, W8

22 October