It seems just recently that Conservatives accused Jeremy Corbyn of discovering the magic money tree.

The Conservative leadership campaign now looks to be going the same way. Liz Truss in particular seems to have lost all sense of reality and found that mystical funding with her talk of large scale tax reduction but no mention of cuts to pay for them.

Social care was already badly underfunded and Britain has an ageing population that will further increase care costs. The NHS is creaking badly with experienced staff leaving. It cannot be maintained, let alone expanded, without more spending

Defence spending is unlikely to drop due to the growing insecurity in Europe. Britain’s Nato contributions and aid to Ukraine have to be paid for. Expect more calls for cash there.

Many other public services are creaking, to say the least. Our roads are potholed, rail services cut and more Yorkshire bus routes likely to be axed in October. Inflation will only fuel demands for pay rises from public sector workers who know well that “pay restraint” doesn’t pay bills.

Please, please can we have some honesty from candidates? Don’t promise tax cuts if you won’t tell us where money will be saved. Otherwise you are guilty of hypocrisy by saying one thing when Labour were challenging, and then doing the same thing yourselves.

From: Hilary Andrews, Leeds.

Has anyone asked Ms Truss what she will do if we have another emergency when she has spent all the “headroom” money on temporarily lowering taxes and borrowing more?

I was at the Leeds hustings and despaired at the poor quality of questions to the candidates. Toilets for the different sexes and the welfare of racing dogs is hardly relevant to the desperate cost-of-living crisis.

Surely Yorkshire folk are better than last Thursday’s display?

Conservative leader candidates need to be honest about finances - Yorkshire Post Letters