Perhaps the most damaging consequence of the Mandelson affair is not the fate of the prime minister (Report, 22 April) but the breakdown in the relationship between the government and the civil service. This relationship is crucial for good government. The removal of a distinguished civil servant for trying to navigate the competing pressures on him when landed with the Mandelson problem sets a dangerous precedent. It was the wrong decision, and should be reversed before lasting damage is done.
Tony Wright
Former Labour MP and chair of the public administration committee
• This is such a Westminster bubble story. No one cares. People are concerned about prices, the NHS, childcare, student loans, jobs, racism, rightwing hooligans, even the lunatics in the White House and Kremlin. I’m no fan of Keir Starmer, but changing leaders now is an indulgence that this country can ill afford, and I think he is proving to be a serious statesman, which makes a pleasant change.
Carolyn Welton
Cullercoats, Tyne and Wear
