Letters: Blair's apology

Sir: I am a lifelong Labour supporter and I am dismayed at the appalling spectacle of our high-minded leader squirming on the skewer of sleaze allegations.

At one level, the "cash for favours" row is nowhere near as bad as the financial scandals that rocked John Major's government - Labour is after all returning the Formula One money. At another level - what one might almost call the spiritual level - it is far, far worse. Labour came to power on an anti-sleaze ticket. Tony Blair invited us to trust him and we responded to his appeal. It is too early to say we feel betrayed, but certainly our faith has been badly shaken. It is like being in a marriage where all the evidence points towards our spouse's infidelity yet we still can't quite believe it.

In any case, if the Government isn't corrupt it has acted with scarcely believable incompetence in allowing itself to be presented as corrupt. The Prime Minister must resolve never to allow anything like this to happen again.

Stuart Russell

Poulton, Gloucestershire