SIR - In response to Alan Johnson, former home secretary, and his comments recently against the Labour party at a conference held at Brighton college. If former government ministers such as himself, Blair and Mandelson expended a tenth of their energy fighting the current government as they do fighting the current Labour opposition then we just might have a revolution in this country. They seldom cast a critique against this government despite their atrocious record. Maybe they have more in common with the Tories than they would dare to admit.

Johnson used the “worst position since the early 1980s” trope against Labour. This cliché has already been debunked during the 2017 general election with Theresa May’s gamble on this outcome going very wrong and leaving her running a minority government.

These ‘champagne socialists’ must realise that it’s media propaganda of which they contribute towards that determines whether Labour is unpopular or not. If Labour go along with the establishment status quo then they’re ‘Teflon coated’ by the media, as was Tony Blair. But if Labour upset the rich and powerful by wanting to re-balance inequality then they endure constant media smears and attacks.

George Hitchcock, Southlands, Baildon