Let’s hope that Polly Toynbee is correct, and that this really is a “changing Britain, kinder and fairer” (These Tories are heading for oblivion, and no amount of U-turns can change that, 3 October). It sounds good news for Labour, but sadly there will probably be plenty of time for voters to change their minds before the next election.
That is why Labour must ensure that it dictates the economic narrative about the responsibility for this crisis, as Jonathan Freedland recently said (Keir Starmer can lock the imploding Tories out for a decade – if he gets the message right, 30 September). It needs to guarantee, too, that enough attention is paid to the research by Resolution Foundation that the richest households will gain around 40 times as much as the poorest from the mini-budget, despite the government U-turn on its plans to abolish the 45% income tax rate for earnings over £150,000.
Bernie Evans
Liverpool
• I read Polly Toynbee’s predictions of imminent Tory demise with a growing sense of alarm. If there is one thing that the past years of Tory rule have shown it is that they are utterly ruthless when it comes to saving their collective electoral necks. They are the party of reinvention and reframing the narrative. They are already softening the edges of the mini-budget. See how quickly Liz Truss adjusted her feet of clay to shift responsibility for the mess on to her chancellor.
What is needed is not wishful thinking but a vigorous, sustained and penetrating critique of the impact of Tory policies. Only if this is put front and centre will the slippery machinations of the Conservatives be clearly exposed as self-serving, destructive cant that is ruining so many lives.
Martyn Taylor
London
• Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
