SIR – Does Tory MP Mark Garnier live in the same world as the rest of us?

He presents a list of the coalition’s economic “achievements” (Worcester News, August 15) as though the economic misery of the past three years was inevitable.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

In 2010 under Labour, the economy was well out of recession and growing at 1.6 per cent, unemployment was falling and inflation was well under control.

Since the Tories came to power, we have been back in recession; missed a double dip recession by a whisker; hundreds of thousands of people have lost full-time, decently paid jobs and new jobs are often part-time or zero hours contracts.

The welfare bill has soared as more and more working families claim tax credits and housing benefit because of cuts in their wages.

Inflation is rising again which will inevitably lead to food price rises, higher energy costs and fuel bills.

House of Commons library research shows that, after inflation, the average working family locally is nearly £30 a week worse off than when David Cameron became Prime Minister in 2010.

Wages have fallen by 7.2 per cent and people in the West Midlands are now among the lowest paid in Europe.

There’s not much to be proud of there.

I am pleased that there are signs of economic recovery at last, but the arrogance of the Tory claim “haven’t we done well” rings very hollow to thousands of families in Worcester who are paying the price for the Tories’ failure to kick-start the economy long before now.

JOY SQUIRES

Labour parliamentary candidate for Worcester