The Reader: To unite Labour stop trashing its leadership

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Trigger ballots: Jeremy Corbyn's Labour party are still debating whether to keep on the MPs they have
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6 September 2019
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I couldn’t agree more that Labour should come together, hang tough and find strength in unity [“Why is Labour still embroiled in senseless internal politics while the Tories tear themselves apart?” September 4].

But that requires those in the Progress and the Labour First factions to stop trashing the current leadership as well as undermining the so-called “far-Left” of the party.

It takes two to tango — and now is surely the time for all the various factions of the Labour Party to come together.
Phil Grainger

EDITOR'S REPLY

Dear Phil

As someone who dedicated the best years of my life to the Labour Party, served two Labour Prime Ministers, four party leaders and was proud to have helped draft the landmark Equality Act 2010, I’m glad that you agree with my column that we should not be involved in senseless internal politics.

Alas, the story on the ground tells a depressingly different story. Many sensible party members and activists around the country are dismayed that they are seeing their local teams waste time, money and resources trying to prevent good, hardworking, popular MPs facing deselections through pointless enhanced trigger ballots when the Conservatives are falling apart and we could face a snap general election.

You say it takes two to tango but these highly divisive measures have come from Momentum, the far-Left pressure group which seems to call the shots these days.

But you’re right — it’s time for the various wings of the Labour movement to come together at this crucial point. The Labour Party exists to gain political power to change society for the better, like we did back in 1997, and we have always been most electorally successful when we have been a broad church.

But that does include moderates as well.

Ayesha Hazarika, Columnist

Back free personal care for the elderly

Politicians from all sides have finally recognised the crisis that exists in social care, and the need to protect people from the fear of having to pay catastrophic care costs.

The current system is complex as well as emotionally and financially draining. It punishes those who have saved all their lives.

At Independent Age, the older people’s charity, we are calling on the Government to make our system fair by introducing personal care that’s free at the point of use.

The Prime Minister should urgently introduce free personal care.

Implementing free personal care would ensure that everyone who needs support receives it, without facing catastrophic costs.

It would help people live in their own homes for longer, and it would reduce the numbers of people stuck in hospital waiting for care — taking pressure off the NHS.

Free personal care is the fairest, most effective model, it’s affordable, and would benefit everyone.
Shelley Hopkinson​
Independent Age

Memorial design is too impractical

Sir Peter Bazalgette, Sarah Weir and Julia Peyton-Jones may claim to have chosen the Adjaye/Arad design of the Holocaust Memorial as the most sympathetic to Victoria Tower Gardens, but that could only be because of its greater distance from the Houses of Parliament — “in the shadow” of which they applaud its siting [“Memorial choice ticks all the boxes”, September 3].

In every other respect the design doesn’t work: the trees are threatened, the Environment Agency says flood defences will be difficult to maintain, precious open space is seriously reduced, and the children’s playground will be cut off from the rest of the gardens.
Lucy Peck

Rebels are defying EU vote verdict

Alistair Lexden [“Brexit rebels must follow Churchill,” September 4] overlooks one important point. The so-called “rebels” in the Conservative Party are defying the will of voters as expressed in a free and transparent referendum to leave the European Union that was won by a majority of more than 1.25 million.

Boris Johnson is only doing what he said he would do in his campaign to become prime minister. Like him or not, at least he’s transparent — and his word can be relied upon.
Dominic Shelmerdine

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