Keir Starmer revealed his inner Tory when he told us there was no alternative to his planned penitential cuts (Starmer hints at tax rises as he warns of ‘painful’ budget, August 27). Apparently his policy will be to grow the economy by cutting public spending – the policy that George Osborne pursued and which failed miserably because it was based on economic illiteracy.
Peter Fuller
Morpeth, Northumberland
“How much a government borrows and spends should be determined by the state of the economy, not the debts left by its predecessors,” your editorial said (27 August). Replace “economy” with “country and its people” and a truer word has never been spoken. The last 14 years have broken us and the country. We need a second Beveridge, not austerity light. We need hope.
Lyn Dade
London
Keir Starmer’s speech can best be summed up with the words of Albanian President Enver Hoxha from 1967: “This year will be harder than last. On the other hand, it will be easier than next year.”
Derrick Cameron
Stoke-on-Trent
The ageing Gallagher brothers are clearly taking steps to increase their income to compensate for the fact that in a few years they will no longer be eligible for the winter fuel allowance (Oasis reunion confirmed for UK and Ireland tour in 2025, August 27).
Toby Wood
Peterborough
Yuval Noah Harari warns us about the potential dangers of artificial intelligence (Never summon a power you cannot control, August 24). I’m not an IT expert, but if something goes wrong, turning it off and on again usually works.
Markus Schmidt
Langport, Somerset
