EPHRAIM MIRVIS, the chief rabbi, asks: "What will the result of this election say about the moral compass of our country?", on account of the alleged anti-Semitism in the Labour Party (Echo, Nov 26).

Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, implicitly backed his intervention, whilst Muslim leaders weighed in against the Conservatives for their alleged Islamophobia.

I question the "moral compass" (or at least the sound judgement) of these faith leaders themselves and recall that Jesus warned the religious leaders of his day against neglecting "the more important matters of the law – justice, mercy and faithfulness" (Matthew 23.23).

Whilst the issues they highlight are undoubtedly "important matters", the climate and extinction crisis is "more important" by far. It is not only the greatest moral, humanitarian and political challenge ever to face the human race, it is also the most urgent.

Fifteen years ago, another faith leader, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, warned that this crisis would precipitate "a catastrophe that will exacerbate human suffering to a magnitude that perhaps the world has not yet seen". Consequently, this is the matter to which we should attach overriding importance in the election.

In doing so, we should bear in mind that, whereas Labour is committed to massive investment to create a sustainable economy, the Conservatives record in office since 2015 is appalling and their manifesto policies barely deserve to be called a fig leaf.

David W Golding, Honorary Chaplain, Newcastle University