What would happen if politicians’ wages were judged on a case-by-case basis?

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Mr Gove has had a change of heart over the role of experts (PA)

So the Government is now thinking of ending the pay cap for public sector workers on a case-by-case basis. Oh, if only we could do the same to them, what fun it would be.

Failed three times to reach your immigration targets? There goes your 11 per cent pay rise!

Your austerity plans to get the deficit down caused it to go up? There goes the interest on your second mortgage.

Being responsible for the disaster that is our welfare state and social care? There go your subsidised lunches.

It's a good job our politicians salaries aren't performance related or they'd all be moaning that they'd not had a pay rise for years.

Ken Twiss
Yarm

Political awakenings

Michael Gove has called on the Tory “Leave” Government to “listen to the pay review bodies” and respect their integrity. One must be kind and assume that Mr Gove’s all too short sojourn in the political wilderness induced a small degree of enlightenment. Experts are not so bad after all, it would seem. Who'd have thought?

Beryl Wall
London W4

A price worth paying

Michael Gove says that nobody should end up paying more tax to fund higher education if they did not go on to study there themselves. This raises an interesting point about individuals' obligation to pay taxes and society's responsibility to spend the proceeds appropriately.

I don't have any children at school, yet I pay towards the education of other people's children. I am in good health, but I pay for other people's health care. I live in a low-crime area, yet I pay towards policing in areas with more crime. I don't object to any of these (and nor should anyone else), because tax is a shared obligation towards the provision of public good. Healthy educated people in a crime-free environment should be what we all ought to be aiming for and paying for according to our means. The achievement of this end is something that only be done by society and not by individuals.

So where does this put higher education? Either we should make students pay for their education and then ensure that nurses, teachers, police officers and other public servants are paid enough to be able to afford the repayments, or we accept that higher education is a public responsibility leading to benefit for the whole of society, who should therefore pay for it. Either way, it will cost us more.

Sam Boote
Nottingham

Grenfell Tower fire

Why did the 181 tower blocks that have recently failed safety checks not fail those carried out at some time prior to the Grenfell Tower fire? Safety checks should help prevent tragedies, not be taken after the fact.

Michael Pate
​Lancashire

Cash for votes

I am surprised that there hasn't been more outcry at what seems to me the bribery of the DUP to support the Government. It is illegal to pay money for votes in an election, so why not in Parliament?

​Jenifer Freeman
Address supplied

Oh Jeremy Corbyn

The hugely popular “Ohhhhhh Jeremy Corbyn” chant has been banned at this year’s Wimbledon tennis tournament. As an alternative, how about "Land of Hope and Corbyn"?

Patrick Cosgrove
​Shropshire