An “island of strangers” (Report, 19 May)? “If a man be gracious and courteous to strangers, it shows he is a citizen of the world,” wrote Francis Bacon. Of course, there are those who consider citizens of the world to be citizens of nowhere, but shared humanity and threats to our planet that affect everyone suggest otherwise.
I am the granddaughter of immigrants and would not exist if they had not found refuge in this country. The words of our prime minister sent a chill through my veins. It seems that it is the Labour party, which I have supported all my life (though sometimes reluctantly), that has become alien.
Jenni Daiches
South Queensferry, Edinburgh
• Is it cynical to ask whether the payment of a £1,000-a-year health surcharge while on a time-limited residence permit played a role in the decision to extend the qualifying period for “indefinite leave to remain” from five to 10 years? After all, these surcharges contributed £1.7bn to Britain’s health departments in 2023-24 alone, according to a research briefing in the House of Commons library. Nice little earner.
Yvonne Bearne
Kingsteignton, Devon
• If the prime minister believes it is OK to require all arriving workers or students and their adult dependents to have good English, he would presumably also support the idea that all British emigrants should have a good standard of the language of the country they are moving to. Maybe universities could increase their income with intensive courses in Mandarin, Hindi and Spanish.
Anne Webb
West Kirby, Merseyside
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