Readers' letters - August 14

There’s so much focus on the supposed ‘antisemitism’ in British politics yet the glaring omission is the disregard for the thousands of innocent people being murdered in Yemen.

Recently, a Saudi-led air strike killed at least 29 Yemeni children travelling on a school bus.

Britain is supplying Saudi Arabia with the military hardware to carry out these strikes.

Britain trains Saudi pilots – the same pilots who were responsible for this air strike on the school bus.

This is what the focus should be on.

Why is Britain’s support of Saudi ‘terrorism’ not highlighted?

Why isn’t Britain’s foreign policy not seen as being fuelled by racism?

When Britain is culpable in air strikes which murder innocent children, the incident is reported as if it’s a normal occurrence and the deaths don’t matter. What seems to matter is who party leaders shared platforms with a decade or so ago.

Louis Shawcross

via email

I’m offended – by unfair and inept Tory policies

Buffoon Boris’s comments on the burka has come at a good time for Mrs May et al.

This was a remark about a type of clothing covering the face.

Luckily for the Tories, it detracts from other, much minor, issues – such as the Brexit mess, the failure of Northern Rail to provide a competent service (and the failure of the Tories to do anything about it), the continuing destruction of the environment via the excessive building on green space – and the health and pollution issues which will ultimately result from this.

Oh, and the constant discrimination against the poor and issues with universal credit.

Why do we need food banks in this day and age?

Why do we ignore Amazon and the like for not paying their full tax or for having less than ideal conditions for workers?

And why are zero-hour contracts legal?

(None of these apparently matters quite as much as a comment on an item of impractical clothing).

So do I find a remark on a garment offensive? No. It’s someone’s opinion.

Do I find the fact that people are more offended by opinions these days then policies which actually affect people adversely?

Yes, highly offended.

Molly Clare

via email

Johnson unfit to be leader or PM

Boris Johnson has a nerve criticising Muslim women’s dress given his own shambolic appearance.

His ill-timed comments have served to take the spotlight off the Labour leader and his supporters over the antisemitic controversy.

Boris loves publicity, hence his juvenile antics during the general election. He can be economical with the truth, as witness his claims during the referendum campaign.

His current gaffe, one of many when he was a disastrous Foreign Secretary, makes him unfit to be a leader of the Conservative Party, let alone PM.

It is a pity his juvenile remarks were not ignored by the PM and other senior Tories. By their actions, Johnson has been given the oxygen of publicity he yearns for.

Dr Barry Clayton

Address supplied

Sugar tax

is pointless

New data published by Nielsen in the last few days shows the sugar tax is having a minimal impact on consumer purchases so far.

According to Nielsen, the number of people saying they will give up sugary drinks has fallen from 11 per cent before the tax started to just one per cent now.

And the number of people saying they will continue buying sugary drinks has actually gone up, from 31 per cent before the tax started, to 44 per cent now.

This is yet more evidence showing the pointlessness of this tax.

Theresa May must repeal this tax as soon as possible.

Brook Whelan

Chief Executive of

People against Sugar Tax