Why the UK is the sick man ofEurope again | Letters

British neoliberalism, social inequality and arrogance have left us trailing in Germany's wake in the fight against coronavirus, argue John Green and Glyn Turton, while Jinty Nelson says the UK has been losing ground in other areas for years

Martin Kettle is absolutely right in his comparison between Germany's response to the Covid-19 pandemic and that of the UK (On different planets: how Germany tackled the pandemic, and Britain flailed, 24 June). But one big factor is the fact that Germany is not, as he writes, just a bit more prosperous" than Britain. Its standard of living is much higher than ours and there is certainly less of a divide between the rich and poor than there is here. The much higher standards of hygiene in Germany and of health care have also been an important contributing factor to the country's much lower Covid-19 infection and death rates.

Our government of Little Englanders and fanatical privateers will never admit that we could learn something from another nation, let alone from Germany. Angela Merkel has pursued a politics of consensus and moderation, whereas our Conservatives have consistently followed the discredited neoliberalism of the US and the chaotic response to this pandemic is a direct result.
John Green
London