Mrs J Maskell asks "when are politicians going to put the needs of the people of this country first?" (Letters, April 17).

It seems to me that, since 1987, Gordon Brown and Tony Blair have been putting the needs of the people of this country first with spectacular success across the whole spectrum of health, employment, low inflation, education, and social exclusion.

So much so that the Tory call for "change" means, in code, "be like Labour".

It is right we should look beyond our shores, from where many of the things we consume come, and we can be proud our Government is leading in the effort to eradicate poverty in Africa.

-Roger Boniface, Hailsham