Don't let country slide into five more years of lies and cronyism

I was completely horrified when I heard the report of Keir Starmer's speech to the CBI this week. I am not a natural Labour voter, but in Swindon they are our only realistic hope for the political change which we desperately need. We have good Labour candidates, but while their leader proposes to continue the Tory destruction of our society, I fear the incumbents will be allowed to carry on.

We must be the only country in the world that seems to want to give the nice jobs to foreigners and do the rubbish ones ourselves. So, the plan is to pay more, but where can that money come from? The answer - consumers and end users, so fuelling inflation. This may be a vaguely credible plan after achieving some growth, and dealing with our poor education and training, which should have been done years ago. However, in the short term it is just more of what the Tories have already failed at.

Labour party leadership has to get a grip on the fact that Brexit has damaged our country and we must move to a closer relationship with our nearest trading partners. We need immigration of people willing to do the work here that we don't have the workforce to take on. We need cheap and easy trade to sustain our small business sector. We also need the opportunities that have now been denied to our citizens by making interaction with Europe more difficult. More than half the population are now prepared to admit that Brexit was an own goal, so why on earth perpetuate it in its most pure and damaging form?

This is the path to handing back all the 'blue wall' seats who have had enough of self-serving Tory policies, apparently pandering to 'red-wall' prejudices fuelled by lies over six years ago. They haven't got the levelling up or the cash boost to the NHS promised. With the right campaign, promoting what they had with Europe, investment, and wider opportunities it shouldn’t be too difficult to win back those previous Labour voters, without losing the 'new' ones. Please, Labour, don't slide into handing us another five years of lies, cronyism and tax bonuses to the already rich.

Carolyn Phillippo

Lower Stratton

Swindon

Young lives ruined and lost by homelessness

Last week the ONS published figures which estimated 741 deaths of homeless people in England and Wales registered in 2021. Of these, 31 of them were between 16 and 24 years old. This is a 63 per cent increase compared to 2020 - but one death is too many.

We know homelessness can have a devastating effect on a person’s mental and physical health. One night on the streets can change a young person’s life. They are at risk of violence, abuse, theft, the influence of drinks and drugs, and experiences that can leave long-term trauma and lead to poor mental health.

With such strong links between financial difficulties and conflict in the home - the impact of increased debt, spiralling bills and low incomes is seeing family relationships breaking down. As a result, more young people are on the verge of homelessness and this winter risks pushing many of them over the edge. Today’s statistics demonstrate that they aren’t just at risk of losing their homes, but also their lives.

At Depaul UK, we are focused on getting young people off the streets and into safety, by providing life-changing support. We know times are tough for everyone, but no young person should have to sleep in an unsafe place. Our Nightstop service has local volunteers from all over the country providing rooms for the night. It is a lifeline for so many. I would like to invite readers to consider becoming a volunteer and looking for ways they can help so that we can end homelessness altogether.

Mike Thiedke

Chief Executive

Depaul UK CEO

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