The chancellor has not done enough to give the right care to cancer patients

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Anneliese Dodds, the Labour MP for Oxford East, raised alarm bells about the “haste” at which the spending review had been carried out in an open letter to the chancellor Sajid Javid (Reuters)

The additional investment provided by the chancellor for health and social care services this week is much-needed. However, it still falls drastically short of what is truly required to improve services for the patients, families and professionals who are being let down by a system that is teetering on the edge of collapse.

The number of people with cancer is growing and NHS cancer and social care services are facing unprecedented pressure. Despite their best efforts, hard-working professionals are struggling to keep pace with demand as there’s just not enough staff with the right skills and resources to give cancer patients the personalised care they need. A patch-and-mend approach to funding is woefully insufficient to resolve this issue.

Urgent action is required from the government to prioritise and solve the staffing crisis that is crippling our NHS and social care services. We need to see a serious commitment from Sajid Javid to provide significant long-term investment to grow and sustain the health and care workforce. Without this, conditions will continue to deteriorate for both patients and professionals.

Dr Moira Fraser-Pearce, director of policy, Macmillan Cancer Support
London

A Tory cull?

There are 13 Scottish Conservative MPs. Not a single one had the courage or integrity of Kenneth Clarke, Phillip Hammond or Sir Nicholas Soames to vote in support of the motion preventing a harmful and disorderly no-deal crash-out.

This is an unthinkable and catastrophic outcome explicitly ruled out in the 2016 Brexit referendum.

Scotland, of course, voted 62 per cent to remain, with every Scottish local authority returning a Remain vote. Assuming the primary duty of any MP is to prevent harm to their constituents: it is barely credible that any MP would vote for a no-deal crash-out, even less so in Scotland.

It is not the action of a responsible MP to vote for this and especially not for their own perceived political gain. It is an inexcusable dereliction of their duty not to prevent harm to their constituents. The vibrant pro-European movement that has sprung up in Scotland since 2016 will help to ensure the 13’s electoral fate in the anticipated general election to come.

Victoria Lee
Stirling4Europe

Susannah Rae
Perth4Europe

Colin McFadyen
Aberdeen4Europe

Morag Williamson
Edinburgh4Europe

Kirsty Law
Inverclyde4Europe

Susan Cooper
Falkirk4Europe

Clare Scanlan
GlasgowLovesEU

Gill Bird
Highlands4Europe

David Roulston
SWScotland4Europe

Defined by Brexit

I agree with your editorial (“Swinson needs to channel more than Brexit”) but I personally am so pleased that this once dead in the water party has had a much-needed renaissance.

Jo Swinson fits the bill as the leader of a modern-facing, 21st-century party and appears to have taken to it like a duck to water. She must be careful, though, that in providing political sanctuary for disaffected MPs, there is still a great deal to do beyond hugging and welcoming these men and women.

But you are correct that there other policies apart from Brexit that need to be identified and sold to the electorate, and I am sure this will be implemented, when we do have a general election.

This party has fought long and hard for a people’s vote and this might be the closest they will get to the fruition of their dream, as no doubt the electorate will punish and reward the parties which align with their views and opinions. Although whether this divisive issue will ever be resolved is a matter for much speculation.

Judith A Daniels
Norfolk

Words of honour

I would like to suggest an OBE (at least) for the very nice polite man in Morley who the other day made a very reasonable request to Boris Johnson, our new prime minister: please leave my town.

This award would be more than justified unlike many that we have seen over the past few years.

Robert Boston
Kent

Damn shame

What a wonderful picture of Jacob Rees-Mogg lounging on the front bench during a debate. It sums him up exactly.

Perhaps he might like to ask Melania Trump for her jacket with the slogan on the back: “I really couldn’t give a damn, could you?”

B Sheldon
Address supplied