How can the Tory party fix the cost of living crisis? They started it

Jeremy Hunt is standing by his remark that £100,000 “is not a huge salary”.

This is yet another example of how out of touch the Tories are with the vast majority of the population. I can only imagine how his comments are going down with those working two or three jobs and still being forced to use food banks. Or indeed those who are too ill to work and trying to survive on totally inadequate benefits.

The government fails to recognize that the cost of living crisis is entirely down to the years of their mishandling of the economy. A little acknowledgment of their own incompetence would be very refreshing.

David Felton

Cheshire

After widespread criticism, Network Rail has removed religious messaging from the departure board at King’s Cross station.

A good-spirited “Happy Ramadan!” would have been sufficient; nobody needs to be told they should repent their sins when running for a train, to say nothing of the inevitable demand for comparable recognition from other religious minorities.

Easter weekend brings similar concerns about different celebrations of the spring equinox. Better none, than being insincere for some.

Neil Barber

Edinburgh

Regarding the accusation from William Proby that the National Trust was being undemocratic in offering members a quick vote, I’d like to point out that it was always possible to tick a box appointing the chair as your proxy. This was in effect exactly the same and has indeed been used by many organisations, building societies for one.

Oddly enough, the epithet “woke” is only a mark of disapproval to part of the electorate. Others are glad to see environmental concerns taken seriously and sensitive issues being properly considered.

Helen Watson

Henley on Thames

First and foremost, our heartfelt sympathies are with Princess Kate. Her unswerving strength and intrepidity to share her cancer diagnosis with the public is admirable.

Cancer remains a dreadful word, a poignant reminder that it can hit any person irrespective of age, social and economic background, religion, or ethnicity. Both King Charles’s and Princess Kate’s decisions to publicise their cancer diagnosis will help raise awareness about cancers, early diagnosis, and treatment.

At this time, during Ramadan, we pray for the speedy recovery of all patients.

Dr Munjed Farid Al Qutob

London

With the considerable compassion being expressed for the Princess of Wales, perhaps a more compassionate understanding could be extended to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex?

The couple have endured (and still do) intense media attention to such a degree that withdrawal from the royal family seemed the only option for them and their family in order to have a more reasonable life.

Even now, amongst such bad news, they have found themselves back in the spotlight regarding something they have yet to even comment on publicly.

James Bell

Belgique

Many thanks to The Independent for raising the issue of insurance scams that are impacting thousands of homes in buildings with cladding.

Our flat is in a newly cladded 11-storey block in north London which has received an EWS1 rating of B1, which means that in the opinion of a professional fire safety consultant it is safe and “no remedial measures are required”. Nevertheless, three years ago our insurance premiums jumped from £25,000 for the block, to around £200,000 – an average of £4,000 per flat.

We have asked the insurers for evidence that these sky-high premiums are justified by their risk experience, only to be met with a blank refusal to share any information. We have approached other brokers and insurers, to be told that they are not willing to even give us a quote for cover. We have written to our local MP, without receiving so much as an acknowledgment. We know that, as well as representing a huge ongoing financial cost to flat owners, it is preventing people from being able to move home.

It is beyond unreasonable for flats that pass approved building regulations, and which have been deemed safe by a fire consultant, to be scammed in this way by the insurance industry.

We are in a real catch-22 situation, in that if our building had been deemed unsafe, we would at least have been eligible for government support, to have the unsafe cladding removed. I truly hope that The Independent’s article will throw a light on this appalling treatment of people who live in safe buildings but who are forced by insurers to pay these outrageous premiums.

Bob Humphreys

Primrose Hill