Natasha Walter (Opinion, 30 October) paints a moving picture of the expected impact of the government’s plans for further cuts in asylum support. Last week the Lords debated a motion opposing cuts in asylum support for children already implemented in regulations sneaked out by the Home Office earlier this year. In reply, the minister conceded that asylum support “reflects a level which is barely above the level of destitution as we would define it”. So, it is official: the sanctuary offered by the UK to asylum seekers provides a standard of living barely sufficient to avoid destitution. Is this not shameful?
Ruth Lister
Labour, House of Lords
• Staff in the Tesco Superstore in Allerton Road, Liverpool, are freezing. They freeze there every winter, and every winter I complain on their behalf to Usdaw, the shopworkers’ union. Every winter Usdaw does nothing. The last time I complained, in fact, Usdaw advised me to contact the superstore’s manager. I replied that I was hoping they might do that. What is the point of a union that seemingly does not give a damn about the health and safety of its members?
Jimmy McGovern
Liverpool
• Now that we know the Chilcot report will finally be published next year (Report, 30 October) and be over 2 million words long, could you please ask John Crace to give it the Digested Read treatment?
David Prothero
Harlington, Bedfordshire
• I don’t know about George Osborne and any physical similarity to a James Bond character (Letters, 31 October), but I think the Today programme’s James Naughtie made clear five years ago who was really the definitive C in the cabinet.
Mike Hine
Kingston on Thames, Surrey
• For the record, Peter Yates set the standard for car-chase sequences in his 1967 film Robbery – that’s why Steve McQueen hired him to direct Bullitt (Letters, 31 October).
Ian Lowery
Kensworth, Bedfordshire
• If knights and dames really have been scrapped by the Australian prime minister (Editorial, 3 November), what will become of Edna?
Mick Beeby
Bristol
• Join the debate – email guardian.letters@theguardian.com
