Andy Street, the West Midlands mayor, is right that the concept of levelling up is “not completely new” (West Midlands mayor tells PM: ‘Red wall voters want to see delivery’, 16 August). In 1891, Jerome K Jerome wrote: “I have sometimes thought that it was a pity we could not level up sometimes, instead of always levelling down; but, of course, that is impossible.”
David Collins
Kidderminster, Worcestershire
• I note that the £6m costs incurred by Conservative-run Westminster council for the Marble Arch mound include provision for its eventual removal (Marble Arch Mound: deputy council leader resigns over £6m cost, 13 August). Will that then count as Tory levelling up?
Trevor Cowie
Eddleston, Scottish Borders
• Fiona Collins (Letters, 15 August) may do “loads more” than the average 15 farts a day, but she is doing nothing wrong. Our son proudly wrote to the Guardian (Letters, 21 June) stating that he had farted the first three notes from Holst’s Mars. Perhaps with her cache, Fiona could aim at the whole Planets suite.
Christine Hawkes
Cambridge
• On the matter of unfortunate spelling mistakes, I once noticed a referral on a sexual health clinic list for “saw penis” (Letters, 8 August).
Martin Jones
Eastbourne, East Sussex
• As the debacle in Afghanistan continues (The fall of Kabul: a 20-year mission collapses in a single day, 15 August), one asks: “Who sold the Taliban all their weapons?”
Tony Meacock
Norwich
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