Letter: Time for a change in leadership

SIR – Richard Grant suggests that Boris Johnson's promise of setting up freeports is just talk (Letters, 25th June). If not, he asks how long are we to wait for them. Though, I have to say his evident opposition to the scheme seems to lack sound reasoning, certainly environmentally compared with the obvious benefits.

However, might I suggest there are far more urgent issues he has to address before he indulges in such niceties and that are in line with promises made in his party's manifesto. For example, he promised to "get Brexit done".

Thanks to his predecessor that is far easier said than done. In order to do that he needs to put the UK back together again and overrule the EU's shameless spite and malice and their evident disregard for the Good Friday Agreement.

At the same time he could honour his party's promise to introduce a coherent immigration policy and stop paying the French to do nothing about stopping the illegal trafficking of immigrants in which he and his government are at present engaged.

If the political will was there a solution would surely soon be found with or without the EU's co-operation.

This will all take political courage of a kind that so far has been conspicuous by its absence. The nation's predicament is certainly not helped by Mr Johnson's attitude gathered from his admission that running the country is "a chore" and that he would much prefer to be "making lots of money and having fun" (ever the clown?).

Let's hope the Conservative Party will quickly find a replacement ­– preferably someone opposed to ripping up the countryside to make way for the extravagant vanity project that is HS2.

David Taylor,
Everton