The Reader: Shamima Begum: should she be allowed to return?

The family of Shamima Begum has called on the UK to bring her back urgently [“ISIS bride’s family call for government to help bring her home,” February 15].

I don’t believe she should be allowed to return. If we can’t stop her coming back, she will have to make her own way back. The taxpayer should not fund her return. If she can’t afford it, then her family will need to fund it.

Her family are also trying to excuse her decision to travel to Syria to join Islamic State. They say she was 15 at the time and that she was radicalised.

The fact that she travelled to a war zone as a minor means, in my eyes, that they have obviously failed to protect their daughter.
Alfie Mullin

In my opinion Shamina Begum ought to be allowed to return to the UK with her baby boy. The fact that she fled to Syria, joined Islamic State and also is now showing a lack of humility and remorse does not mean that our system should penalise her child. Most people would agree that now that Shamina has had her baby, she should face trial and if found guilty should go to jail. I’m sure that the grandparents could bring up the baby with all the love it deserves.
Constantine Louis

EDITOR'S REPLY

Dear Alfie and Constantine

I understand the anger of those who say Shamima Begum should not be allowed to return to the UK. After all, she supported a terrorist cult that killed Britons and, in her interviews, she shows little remorse.

But I don’t agree, for a simple reason: she was born in Britain and has British citizenship. Which other country is supposed to look after her on our behalf? Syria? It can’t look after its own citizens. Neighbours such as Jordan and Turkey? Since when did they have to take the British citizens we don’t want?

Another European country? Can you imagine the fury here if we took a French or Italian citizen who joined Islamic State? I’m sorry, but Ms Begum is our homegrown problem. She was groomed by extremists when she was 15 in our country. Investigate her by all means, charge her if she had committed crimes, and imprison her if that’s what a court decides. But that has to happen here.

As for her newborn boy, it will be one of the most vulnerable British citizens in the world. Unless we’ve now given up on compassion and justice, and believe that the sins of the mother should be visited on an innocent baby.

George Osborne, Editor

Labour upstarts should not prevail

In 1981 Labour lost three senior moderates when the Gang of Four formed the SDP (Roy Jenkins had left Parliament in 1977 to become European Commission President). Two of them, David Owen and Shirley Williams, were highly respected politicians of Cabinet rank who chose to leave Labour on sound principles.

The same cannot be said by any stretch of the imagination for five of the seven Labour defectors yesterday. While every decent citizen sympathises with Luciana Berger and the horrific anti-Semitic abuse she’s had to endure, they will have zero sympathy for Chuka Umunna, Ann Coffey, Mike Gapes, Chris Leslie and Angela Smith, who have eyes for the main chance.

If Jeremy Corbyn repeats the mistakes of Neil Kinnock in dedicating ludicrous amounts of party resources against the upstarts ahead of beating their common enemy, the end result for Labour will prove the same: a decade in the electoral wilderness.
Mark Boyle

Tighten up rules for buying codeine

THE Evening Standard should be congratulated for highlighting opioid abuse and addiction. As a physician I have often wondered why it is that codeine, an opioid, can be purchased over the counter in the UK while in most European countries a prescription by a doctor is required.

It is well known that codeine abuse and addiction is widespread and, importantly, commonly a “precursor habit” to abuse of more powerful opioids.

It would appear that the MHRA, our drug regulatory agency, has not taken any action so far.
Magnus Jaderberg

Climate change is spelling trouble

IT IS such a pity that the misspelling of the word “should” in the photo on your front page of February 15 — especially in the sentence “Climate change shoud [sic] be taught in history not science” — detracts from the crucial message about climate change. It is difficult not to think spelling should be taught in schools.

It is embarrassing to see teenagers holding up such a placard and says much about the sad state of our education system. However, it must be right to be more concerned about climate change than spelling.
James Flynn