Readers respond to Polly Toynbee’s defence of the prime minister in the face of ‘venom’ directed at him by the public Polly Toynbee writes of Keir Starmer: “The venom against a man who is serious and decent, with an impressive tally of good done, is a mystery to me” ( Labour could oust Starmer, he could elegantly step aside – but without a plan, it will all be for nothing, 30 December ). Let me enlighten her: all those good things are overshadowed and obscured by the more conspicuous contemptible ones. This includes sucking up (other phrases are available) to a particularly changeable and untrustworthy head of a foreign state; appeasing the financial markets at the cost of unrelieved austerity for our public services; continuing to underfund and privatise the NHS, the single thing almost all of the electorate value most highly; approving sales of arms which he must be aware may be used for war crimes; selectively criminalising protest; equivocating towards our European friends; not only failing to call out but actively seeking to appease the far right; and, in short, not leading a Labour government. Dr Katy Jennison Witney, Oxfordshire Continue reading...