Vanity among politicians knows no bounds. It forms part of their DNA.

When abroad on taxpayer funded jollies they openly boast about how we give away 0.7 per cent of our annual wealth in foreign aid.

The latest example of this is India: we are donating to them £100 million - to a country that spends the same amount on space exploration. All this while at home the Treasury look for every excuse possible to deny essential funds to public services.

Time now for Members of Parliament to exit the Westminster bubble and join the rest of us in the real world.

Charity begins at home. However, the chances of that occurring equate to Christmas Day falling on Good Friday.

Peter Rickaby,

West Park, Selby

Let’s change foreign aid to home aid

OUR health services are in tatters, some of our roads are so potholed as to be dangerous, prisons are out of control and policing is totally inadequate. All through lack of funding.

Meanwhile our Government is giving our money away: huge sums to South Africa, where there is a record of aid aiding fatcats, and now £100 million to India.

I have a couple of suggestions to ameliorate the situation: change foreign aid to home aid, and if politicians are so keen to give money to foreign countries, having reduced ours to such a parlous state, they start with their own pay packets.

Brian Ledger, Horseman Close, Copmanthorpe, York

Why not join forces with US and Canada?

Although I personally am 100 per cent in favour of leaving the EU and going it alone, I appreciate that there are many with no appreciation of history who doubt the capacity of our current leaders to run the country by themselves.

I understand this viewpoint, although I believe we will soon get the hang of it.

There is a possible compromise which might suit both sides: those who crave the security of being part of a large Big Brother entity and those who are nostalgic for the days when we were and it was English speaking and called the British Empire.

Perhaps now is the time to consider a compromise solution: ie that we apply to join either the USA or Canada. After all, both share our history as comrades in arms and more-or-less speak English. Their legal systems are much closer to ours and I am sure that their tougher approach to banking and business crime in general would appeal to many here.

Frankly both are much more likely to stay the course than the artificial entity which we hope to leave.

AV Martin, Westfield Close, Wigginton, York

Please save us from

self-inflicted harm

THE claims of Brexit supporters that the UK economy is healthy, and it would suffice to leave the EU without a deal, do not stand scrutiny.

Post-referendum, the UK has lost two per cent of GDP and seen the pound devalued by one per cent. Inflation has risen and wages for the ordinary worker have stagnated.

The CBU, NFU, the City and leading supporters, among others, have warned of the economic damage further caused by the prospect of a no-deal Brexit.

Neither Jacob Rees-Mogg nor Nigel Farage can give a plausible account of how a hard Brexit can succeed, yet they persuaded a gullible electorate to vote for their own poverty.

Let’s hope that our elected representatives, a majority of whom favour remain, find the courage to put country before party and save the people from self-inflicted harm.

Dave Barker, Fern Close, Huntington, York