Tulip Siddiq and Sir Keir Starmer

• THE general election result is not only a disaster for the Labour Party: Brexit under Boris Johnson and the right-wing Tories, will damage every part of our country.

As for criticisms of the Labour Party’s plans to tax, borrow, and spend more, even if they had done all they said, public finances as a share of national spending would have ended up almost exactly in the centre of that in the countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, covering most western countries from Austria to the USA, and including Australia and New Zealand, Mexico and Chile.

With the increases promised by Labour, the share of public spending in the UK would have ended up slightly higher than that in Germany, but somewhat below that of the Scandinavian countries which are the fairest, and happiest, countries in the world.

But locally it was great to see Tulip Siddiq and Sir Keir Starmer solidly re-elected, despite massive campaigning efforts by the Lib Dems, who failed in almost all their battles, even losing their leader.

And, as readers will know, almost all Londoners voted overwhelmingly for Labour, not surprising since we have direct experience of Johnson in action.

In the last decade, council funding cuts have been severe, forcing even Labour councils to make cuts to all the vital services they provide. But there is some hope here perhaps.

With London and all major cities staying loyal to Labour, their MPs should come together and demand the increases desperately needed in council funding, if necessary by going to 10 Downing Street and waking Johnson up.

DAVID REED
Eton Avenue, NW3