David Laverick’s 15th December letter, ‘Brexit isn’t working and I told you so’, chimed with me, and I daresay with many, even most, Press readers.

Later in the same communication he refers to Keir Starmer, seen by some as boring and lacklustre. However, another adjective also springs to mind - steady. Hopefully, the nation will give him a try in two year's time; he may well come as a welcome relief. A period of steadiness might not go amiss.

My political hero, Clement Attlee, could be viewed as uninspiring and seriously understocked in the charisma department. Attlee, a thrice-wounded officer in the First World War, helped orchestrate and lead the Home Front in the Second World War as Deputy PM and then became a largely successful and pioneering Prime Minister.

I almost surprise myself when I say there’s hope for us yet under a Starmer-led Cabinet and Government.

Derek Reed,

Middlethorpe Drive,

York

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Trade deals being struck 'for publicity'

I am very alarmed to learn that senior diplomats are leaving the foreign office, in some numbers, over concerns about the trade deals this government are concluding with foreign nations.

Allegedly, deals with poor longer term consequences for this country are being concluded - just so this government might announce a trade deal of some sort has been made.

The longer term implications, and the advice of foreign office officials not to conclude such deals, are being ignored, just to create short term favourable publicity. I further understand that allegedly this government are currently trying to defend some cases of constructive dismissal, in the senior ranks of the civil service, when they in fact have no defence against the claim. I shudder to think of the longer term legal cost implications for the tax payer.

Nigel Boddy,

Witney Ct,

Greencroft Close,

Darlington

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No light at end of tunnel for Ukraine

WHEN war was declared in September 1939, many said it would be over by the following summer. Reminds me of the Government's spokesperson who at the onset of the "energy crisis" forecast it would be over within months. Is that why the light at the end of the tunnel grows dimmer each day?

Also...

May I offer a simple interpretation of "hypocrisy". The Royal College of Nurses offer their own employees a 4.5 per cent wage increase at the same time calling out on strike their "members" in support of a 19 per cent wage increase.

Peter Rickaby,

West Park,

Selby, North Yorkshire

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Strikers - wake up and smell roses

THE Mick Lynches of this world are total hypocrites because whilst their union members who they have brought out on strike are losing massive earnings, they themselves are not losing a penny of their own three figure salaries.

Wake up people, the only ones to lose out here are you with loss of earnings and potentially jobs.

The union leaders will still be here after you have been made redundant in order to pay for the wage increases. I hope you can see the irony here.

A large number of rail workers have balloted to accept the extremely generous nine per cent pay rise but Mick Lynch will not, because his only interest is not his union members but bringing down the Government. Wake up people and smell the roses as the saying goes.

Ann Cruickshank

Lytham St Anne’s

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Not in our house, Helen

Sorry. Helen Mead blames boarding school education upbringings for formality. Being married to one for the last 58 years I have not found this the case, maybe time for a change Helen?

Heather Whitworth,

Huntington,

York