Andy Burnham is right, this is no way for the government to run the country

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“This is no way to run a country is it?” were the memorable words used by Andy Burnham in reaction to hearing the government’s decision to withdraw the agreed amount of financial help for Manchester and impose tier 3 restrictions. Indeed.  

As the government twists and turns, unable to hold any position for more than five minutes, it almost seems like this is by design – if they keep moving no one will be able to pin anything on them. But as the suffering mounts; of lost jobs, livelihoods, businesses, homes, health and also unnecessary deaths, it will surely get harder to keep running away from full accountability for their amateurish incompetence and spiteful self-interest and hubris.  

“A hot mess inside a dumpster fire inside a train wreck” was another memorable line a few weeks ago by an American commentator speaking of the first presidential debate… It is hard not to make the analogy that we are currently in the hot mess of a pandemic, with the dumpster fire of Brexit and the train wreck of climate catastrophe still to come.

Anne Wolff

Maidenhead  

The contempt this government and the Tory party seem to hold for people who live north of the Watford Gap is laid bare with the treatment of Greater Manchester and its mayor, Andy Burnham. Burnham may not have won this battle but he's sure won the war of hearts and minds. People of the north, whatever their political persuasion, deserve more respect from Westminster. I am sure that this government will get it just deserts in 2024.

Susan Lammin  

Dumfries

While our Whitehall-centred Conservative government is hell-bent on independence from everything European, its incompetence with UK issues means it won't be long until everyone else decides independence from everything Whitehall is the best way forward.

We've potentially got another four years of Conservative government but what they'll be governing in four years time is anyone's guess.  

Mark Pinchbeck  

Sheffield

A national solution?

In the Second World War, there were areas of the UK less obviously affected than others. However, everyone was subject to the restrictions that were imposed. For example, everyone one had to black out their windows at night, whether they lived in London, Cornwall or the Shetlands.  

The “together” spirit of those years was widely remarked on.  

Sadly, this doesn’t seem to be happening in the current pandemic. The benefit of rules that were applicable nationwide would surely be that no one could see their area as less or more favoured than anywhere else.  

Also, it is absolutely necessary that parliament debate and agree on what measures are now needed.

The Rev Andrew McLuskey

Address supplied

Planning laws

I believe that a national scandal is about to be revealed by virtue of the recent changes to planning laws applicable from 1 August.

I have come across two blocks of flats, so far, including my own, in which the owners of long leasehold flats have been shocked to find that a developer who owns the freehold is about to build two extra storeys on top of their building, without any consultation with, or even any warning to, the owners.  

The procedure involves an application to the local planners to agree that they need no planning permission, and the planners have no option but to agree. There is therefore very little control over the standard of work to be applied.  

This legislation has been passed together with the more highly publicised rules to allow empty offices and shops to be extended in this way, which has the approval of those who wish to see more homes made available.

If Boris Johnson made a mistake with this legislation, he should, as suggested by Peter Bottomley in parliament, stand up, apologise and change this dreadful new rule.

Nigel Sara

Bristol