This is Tina McKay's response to Stephen Scrase's letter.

The values underpinning the Labour programme are about fairness, justice, equality and opportunity.

We believe it is our responsibility – in one of the richest countries on earth - to ensure every person in our communities has opportunity to fulfil their potential and to make a contribution to our society. 

For far too long, ordinary people have paid for the mistakes of governments and banks.

Too many people have had to endure insecure employment, poverty, homelessness, low wages, limited opportunities, poor access to public services and relentless cuts to the services that are essential in a modern, inclusive country. 

The financial and other costs of this are huge, for individuals and for our country. We can’t afford to ignore it

Labour’s manifesto starts from the position that the economy should work for everyone and should deliver its benefits to everyone, not just the few. That’s the "Corbyn attitude" and it’s one I am proud to support.

Your correspondent criticises Jeremy Corbyn’s "performance" in the interview with Andrew Neil but seems to have missed the fact that he actually turned up, as did the leaders of other parties.

The Prime Minister is running scared of his own interview. Holding people to different standards seems to be a feature of this election!

In fairness to Jeremy, such interviews are not the best forum for a nuanced discussion of what is a huge, radical and ambitious programme.

It’s simply not possible to condense such a programme into easy soundbites.

The manifesto is fully costed. If your readers want to look at the analysis of our manifesto by economists and others, the consensus seems to be that rebuilding the country after a long period of stagnation and austerity is not only achievable but necessary. 

While the programme is radical, by UK standards, it is quite obviously not very radical by the standards of other European countries.

As to the assertion that the wealthy will leave "‘the sinking ship" - it would speak volumes about their loyalty and commitment to this country and to our people if they fled the task of rebuilding our economy and our country.

I don’t believe that they will flee the country. I think they will take their place in the effort to build a decent and prosperous society.

Incidentally, Labour has broken no fiscal rules by allocating a one-off settlement sum for the WASPI women.

It is addressing an injustice. The WASPI women contributed to a pension in good faith. When the time came to claim the pension, they found that the goalposts had been moved with little or no warning.

That’s simply not good enough. Women have been pushed into poverty as a direct result of this appalling decision – and let’s be clear, these are women that did everything that was expected of them.

They worked hard, they paid in, they had an agreement with the state. They deserve to be treated with dignity and fairness

I will state quite unequivocally that I condemn anti-Semitism, racism and bigotry wherever it manifests in our community.

I support the efforts made by my Party to streamline and increase the effectiveness of our disciplinary processes.

I welcome the expulsion of anyone found to be guilty of unrepentant antisemitic behaviour. If only we could hear the same clear, antiracist commitments from the Prime Minister - instead of his repeated racist slurs.

Jewish people, and all other marginalised and minority groups, deserve better than this and I offer them my unwavering solidarity in the fight against racism and bigotry, whatever form it takes.

I grew up in a community bitterly divided by hatred and brutal conflict. I have seen how quickly division can escalate into violence.

I have seen the damage it causes to individuals and communities. I will not tolerate anyone seeking to stoke that kind of division.

I call upon all residents of our town to stand with me in working to heal division, not cause it, to care for one another despite our differences, and not to walk by on the other side.

To go back to the "Corbyn attitude" - we have the opportunity to build a strong, fair and peaceful country. The overarching principle of our manifesto is to build a country that we can all be proud of. 

We deserve a government that will prioritise our people. 

We deserve a government that will rebuild our economy, our communities and that will offer hope at a time when so many people have learned to expect very little, however hard they work and whatever contribution they make. 

We deserve a government that will take its place at the forefront of protecting our planet and working for peace and justice here and across the world. ‘

That’s the "Corbyn attitude". I think we need a little more Corbyn attitude and a little less rage.

Tina McKay
Labour Party candidate for Colchester