Is now the time for Sir Keir Starmer to take more political risks?

Is Sir Keir Starmer playing it too safe?

It’s a shame that Sir Keir Starmer is such a cautious leader.

He should really be more ambitious now because this really
is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to take political risks, what with both Conservative leadership candidates being as they are – alarmingly radical and increasingly detached from reality.

Unless the Tories dramatically change course, Labour have already got the next election sewn up.

Environment/food security/conservation of the planet – don’t they matter?

I agree with Ryan Cooper (MetroTalk, Tue) that we are not doing enough to combat man-made climate change.

Earth is (realistically) the only home we have, although Elon Musk and his fellow big rocketeering friends seem bent on damaging it.

But there was no mention of ‘environment/food security/conservation of the planet’ at the government’s big Investment Summit on Monday.

It was about ‘growth’, irrespective of how environmentally damaging this might turn out to be.

Another growing problem is UK food securiy. We must work to conserve our local green spaces to grow more local food and not indulge in things like the imminent assault on Greater Manchester, where a huge plan under Mayor Andy Burnham is re-zoning green belt and former farmland into development land, without any legally enforceable rule to use brownfield sites first.

This sort of thing will start happening in other parts of the UK.

No one in government at any level is currently charged with ensuring the UK can survive indefinitely into the future with a safe and reliable, good quality food supply. And that does not mean stuff made in factories from artificial materials.

My heart goes out to the family of Dawn Sturgess (Metro, Tue).

The Wiltshire mum was the only person to be killed in the Russian novichok nerve agent attack in 2018 that was intended for former spy Sergei Skripal and could have killed thousands of British subjects.

When confronted with the deaths of thousands of innocents in Gaza, both Labour and the Conservatives support Israel’s ‘right’ to defend itself.

But if the Russian agents had, in fact, killed thousands, would our government have gone after those guilty in Russia, uncaring of any innocent casualties?

Would the US and Israel have given us the green light to ‘self defend’ to even a degree of that which Israel has?

Or is this right only viable if it’s easy and you’re enabled by other powers?

Is it fair for the obese and on benefits to get Ozempic for ‘free’?

Regarding Labour’s war on obesity (Metro, Wed). Why should people on benefits be given the weight loss drug?

I’m diabetic and have asked my GP several times for the drug and been told no, it’s not available on the NHS and that I’d have to go private and pay for it. Leeds

I am not overweight but I closely watch my waist to avoid problems in the future.

My belief is that people could improve their situation by a combination of measures – intermittent fasting, Keto diet, high-intensity workouts and by walking 10,000 steps a day.

This is what I am doing in order not to be a burden on the NHS and to stay in my house which has steps. Please, no jab at all!

We must not lose the Lads culture

I am saddened to learn a historic youth centre is facing closure (Metro, Wed). The Salford Lads Club in Greater Manchester – which featured on a Smiths album cover – needs to raise £250,000 by the end of next month. This and all other youth centres are much needed in our communities.

Regarding Salford Lads Club, the Graham Nash connection was Manchester band The Hollies, rather than the supergroup Crosby, Stills And Nash.

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