Michael McGough’s first letter related to the UK’s status in the world and misguidedly argued that we were still a superpower because we had the ability to destroy everything.

Status depends on much more. I carry no flag for Boris Johnson but when he announced that Britain’s contribution to overseas aid would be set in law at 0.7 per cent of GDP I thought it the right move and one that would enhance our standing.

Now, reducing that to 0.5 per cent makes us look small and mean. The result will be millions of children will not have vaccinations and will die; not only from Covid but from the many other diseases that still exist around the world. In addition millions, especially girls, will never get an education and will live a life of poverty and subservience.

Read more: A reasonable reduction to foreign aid budget

Improving health and eliminating poverty enriches us all. At a time when interest rates are minimal, the sensible course of action is to borrow to invest in all our futures but the current proposal is to reduce universal benefit by £20 a week thus condemning all those who have lost their jobs due to Covid and Brexit to greater poverty.

It is only a few weeks since the Prime Minister was saying his salary of £155,000 was insufficient. This again shows that we have a Government that only looks after itself and its friends.

Chris Sumner

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