READING the letter from Bernard McEldowney, who forgot to mention he is the secretary of Bromsgrove Labour Party, I’m not quite sure if he inhabits the same planet as the rest of us.

Labour left this country a toxic legacy. Under 13 years of Labour rule, the national debt more than doubled, with Labour borrowing around £5,000 every second. They happily ran a deficit from 2001, long before the financial crisis, and their mistakes forced the British taxpayer to pick up the tab for the largest bank bail-out in the world.

Labour’s own Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Liam Byrne, famously summed it up when he left a note for his successor in the new Government saying: “Dear Chief Secretary, I’m afraid to tell you there’s no money left”.

Following all of this, any incoming Government would have its work cut out but the new Government has already achieved some impressive results: the record budget deficit has been cut by one third; 1.4 million private sector jobs have been created in the past three years, more than under 13 years of Labour; and the number of people in employment is at an all-time high for the UK. The unemployment rate in Bromsgrove is 2.2 per cent, lower than at any time under the previous Labour Government.

Speaking to local businesses, the unequivocal message is that this is the best business environment for years.

Demand is returning, investment is rising and expansions are going ahead.

It’s not all been a bed of roses under this Government – they could do more to cut tax. But we would do well to remember what Labour’s proposed solution is – more borrowing, more spending and more debt. If this happens, taxes, mortgage rates and unemployment will all go up as well.

I wish Mr McEldowney would stop playing petty party politics and welcome the good news.

JIM COOPER Foley Gardens, Stoke Prior