REGARDING the letter from Tom Brown criticising Government policies (HAS, Apr 1). He asks if they are in the same world as us, like many of your other critics, and manages to completely ignore the following measures taken in recent budgets to narrow the gap between the haves and the have nots: 1. They plan to raise the tax threshold above £10,000; 2. millions of people are getting an extra tax cut; 3. tycoon tax has been raised five times as much for the super rich; 4. stamp duty has increased to 70 per cent for multi-million pound homes; 5. tax cuts have saved the average worker £550 6. two million low paid workers have been lifted out of income tax; 7. a new tax on companies buying properties over £2m; 8. child benefit has been protected for middle class families.

There is no doubt that the previous government managed to increase the gap between rich and poor, and was responsible for the alarming debts we built up.

Mr Brown would do well to consider that the “hard pressed, less privileged working class” , to which the majority of people belong, have a vote at elections.

This Government will stand or fall by its policies at the upcoming election.

John Heslop, Gainford