The Tories have turned Britain into the sick man of Europe once again - Yorkshire Post Letters

Rishi Sunak says he has a plan, but it obviously isn’t working. Tory central keep banging on about going back to square one with Labour. What do they mean? I remember the last Labour government had some amazing achievements. They were providing services for the people of the UK, not handing out contracts to their mates.

The NHS was admired around the world. It’s now on its knees. Waiting times fell to 18 weeks under Labour – now only 58 per cent of people are being seen within the target time. There were Sure Start centres and nursery places – the Tories have decimated the Sure Start centres, and they are offering free childcare places which are not free – nurseries must make up the shortfall in funding.

Labour helped to bring about the Good Friday Agreement which the Tories are putting at risk with their threat to remove the jurisdiction of the European Court of Human Rights. There are numerous other examples of how the UK was a world leader in many areas under the Labour administration. Now we are, once again, the sick man of Europe.

It should be a matter of national shame that poverty is at such a high level now, that childhood diseases such as rickets and scurvy are making a comeback.

Yet the poor, disabled and sick are punished again and again with ever more strict benefit rules and sanctions.

The Tories do not want to increase tax for high earners, but these are the people who would notice it the least.

Instead, they demonise people on Universal Credit as though it was a lifestyle choice, and talk about banning tents for the homeless from our streets. What a thoroughly nasty party the Tory party is, lacking in empathy and basic human decency. We need them gone now.