Letters: Constituents deserve to have a say when MPs change their allegiance

SIR – An MP crossing the floor should trigger their resignation from their party and a by-election. Voters in Natalie Elphicke’s constituency should now be offered the chance to vote for her or another candidate.

In what other job can you up sticks and work for the competition without resigning?

Mike Metcalfe
Butleigh, Somerset

SIR – How many more Tory defections and losses of the whip will it take before a general election is called?

Michael McGough
Loughton, Essex

SIR – Natalie Elphicke has lots in common with Sir Keir Starmer: principles that bend in the wind; an apparent lack of scruples; and an obvious love for a pointless stunt.

Roger Cousins
Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire

SIR – In striking concern and disbelief into the heart of Labour, while simultaneously uniting the Conservatives in disgust at her self-serving betrayal, Natalie Elphicke has arguably done Rishi Sunak a great service.

Chris Whitehouse
London SE11

SIR – The bizarre defection of Natalie Elphicke to a party that she surely despises – judging by her pronouncements in the recent past – encapsulates the terminal rot at the heart of this nation.

We have Conservatives who don’t conserve; Labour for the workshy; liberals wishing to make views outside their self-righteous bubble illegal to express; Greens more interested in alternative lifestyles than ecology; and Reformers who actually want to regress.

Parties are no longer vehicles of principle but teams competing to win power for its own sake by any means necessary. Their purpose is to retain voters whose blind loyalty to a brand dictates their electoral decisions.

Decades ago, there were politicians who had thrown away glittering careers because their sense of duty to the people of this country brought a realisation that their talents would be best deployed in Parliament; building that better tomorrow promised as a just reward for the sacrifices of the Second World War.

Sadly this kind of commitment no longer exists, and current members of both Houses of Parliament seem self-serving and hubristic.

Mark Boyle
Johnstone, Renfrewshire

SIR – Following Natalie Elphicke’s defection to the Labour benches, surely Nigel Farage should represent Reform UK in Dover in the forthcoming general election.
G E Allard
Gillingham, Kent

Church betrayals

SIR – Madeline Grant’s account (Comment, May 8) of the betrayal of our Anglican musical heritage by those who should be promoting it illustrates the depressing parallels between the condition of the Church of England and that of our nation.

In the Church, as in the state, we see shrinking trust in leaders. We see administrators dismissing the local parish unit, where the Church’s main work is done. We see Church members seething because their hands-on experience is ignored by those in charge. We see hard-working priests, and their vital sacramental pastoral ministry, treated as problems by managerial officials. And, as in the country, it is almost impossible to see future leaders who might help us turn the ship around. No doubt they are there, but they are unlikely to be favoured by the mindset presently dominating the Church.

Does all this sound only too familiar?

Rev Dr Barry Orford
London NW3

SIR – For 10 years I was the headmistress of Croughton, a voluntary-controlled village school that had Church representatives in the governing body (Letters, May 9).

It could be argued that, as the school is the only one in the village, it shouldn’t be a faith school. However, each year we had more than twice the number of applications as places available. Staff at the local American airbase would fight to send their children to us rather than the secular school. Parents frequently told us that the ambience was noticeable as soon as they walked through the front door.

While many secular schools undoubtedly also encourage kindness and respect, our entire ethos was based on our Christian values, and these clearly shone through. No one ever objected.

Eve Wilson
Hill Head, Hampshire

GP system failure

SIR – I’ve had a good deal of pain and difficulty in walking for a week because of a swollen foot. I thought the problem would resolve itself with rest, but it didn’t. On Wednesday at 10am, I went to my GP’s website to complete the form to request an appointment, but I couldn’t because it said that no further appointment requests were available that day. I should add that the system does not let anyone complete a form outside practice hours.

I telephoned the practice and explained my problem to the receptionist, and was advised to call NHS 111, which I did. The service was very helpful but it took 20 minutes to explain my symptoms. I was told that I would receive a callback within six hours. Four hours later the call came and I was told that my GP would telephone the next day.

At least five people became involved in this charade – just because I was not allowed to complete a form online.

James Woods
Frome, Somerset

The joy of shaving

SIR – Unlike Robin Bendon (Letters, May 8), I find a wet shave is one of the joys of the day. I use a small, badger-hair brush, which I bought shortly after starting work in the City in the 1970s. It’s still going strong, justifying the price at the time. I have any number of shaving creams on the go, in jars, tubes and cans. The jars last for years. After shaving I use an alum block to complete the ritual.

The only negative aspect of modern shaving is the astronomical price of razor blades.

Tim Oldfield
Wye, Kent

Cameron on defence

SIR – It is all very well Lord Cameron stating that Europe should be “tougher” in the face of Russian and Chinese aggression (report, May 9), but we should remember his record when he was prime minister.

He oversaw significant cuts to Britain’s conventional warfighting capabilities, which have left us more vulnerable than we should be. He also delayed the introduction of the next generation of nuclear deterrent submarines and allowed China to fund our civil nuclear power programme.

Rear Admiral Philip Mathias (retd)
Southsea, Hampshire

Great white bread

SIR – I strongly reject William Sitwell’s comments (“Soft white bread is a con – no matter what the boffins do to it”, telegraph.co.uk, May 3).

To suggest, without evidence, that white bread causes cancer, diabetes and obesity paints a false impression of one of the nation’s favourite staple foods, enjoyed by millions. All British bread, including “packaged” and “supermarket”, contains a wealth of nutrients that play an important part in a healthy, balanced diet – including fibre, calcium, vitamins and iron. White bread offers a convenient and good-value staple food at a time when consumers’ budgets are stretched.

Andrew Pyne
Chief executive, Federation of Bakers
London WC1

Saved by the bank

SIR – In 1978 I was offered a job as a secretary in Dubai. I had no clothes suitable for a hot climate and no money for a new wardrobe, having reached the limit of £150 on my Barclaycard.

I met the manager of Barclays in Tunbridge Wells (Letters, May 9). He agreed to a £100 loan, provided I handed over my Barclaycard for him to cut in half. I then went to Dubai, paid off my loan, cleared my card account – and have never been in debt since.

Susan Sang
Petersfield, Hampshire

SIR – During the 1980s I returned from college for the Christmas break and was invited to meet my bank manager.

He told me I was living beyond my means and asked what plans I had to pay off my overdraft. At the Easter break we had a similar meeting. In the summer we met again. He said: “If I have to call you in next term I will need to inform your father.” I stayed in the black for the rest of my course.

Mark Lewis 
Stalbridge, Dorset

Why wooden toys are a cut above the rest

SIR – William Sitwell (“Let’s get on board with Boris’s wooden toys”, Features, May 4) makes a very good argument in favour of these toys over plastic ones. There is also the bonus of longevity. 

My sons, who are now in their 20s, have received many gifts over the years. The plastic ones were gradually donated or re-gifted, while the wooden ones are in the loft awaiting the next generation.

Frances Williams
Swindon, Wiltshire

SIR – William Sitwell’s article reminded me of making wooden sledges for all eight of my grandchildren and the first seven great-grandchildren. 

However, when my eighth great-grandchild was born more than 300 miles away, I was able to buy and have delivered a plastic sledge for less than the price of the wood and runners. 

It all comes down to cost.

Derrick G Smith
Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex

British Gas’s plea for mandatory smart meters

SIR – Chris O’Shea, the CEO of British Gas, says every household should be forced to have a smart meter to help hit net-zero targets, despite widespread resistance to the devices (report, May 9). The implication is that he wants to be able to control how much gas we use, the price we pay and the pattern of usage at different times of the day. This is pure socialism – without a vote.

As a customer, I should be allowed to spend my money as I choose, and, provided I’m prepared to pay the quoted price, should be able to buy as much gas as I want at the time of my choosing. This is the free market.

It is not possible to believe in both positions simultaneously. 

Ian Mackenzie
Preston, Lancashire

SIR – Please can Chris O’Shea explain how smart meters will help hit net-zero targets? Without one I know exactly what appliances I am using. A meter will not mean I no longer heat the house, cook or watch television. 

Anne Jappie
Cheltenham, Gloucestershire

SIR – Before making smart meters mandatory, the Government should ask British Gas to try to fit them in my property as a test case. I live in a large, old, stone-built house, and have been told by my supplier that I can’t have a smart gas meter because my current model doesn’t have a smart equivalent, and, in any event, is too far away from my electricity meter to transmit the necessary signal to it. 

If British Gas solves these problems and pays for the work to enable the installation, it can have my supply contract for both fuels and my support for its policy. If it fails, it should withdraw the proposal.

Dr A S Hearne
Woodstock, Oxfordshire

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