Baroness Warsi’s attack on Ed Miliband (Monday’s Oxford Mail) is astonishing.

If the Tories really represent “hard-working, fair-minded people” why is their June budget and VAT rise hitting the poorest people in the country the hardest and why are they putting thousands upon thousands of hard working people out of work?

If the Tories really are to be trusted on the economy why is their own former Chancellor, Kenneth Clark, warning that early spending cuts could cause a double dip recession?

If Baroness Warsi is really a friend of the working classes, why are the Tories using the financial crisis to advance an ideological agenda – a drastic and permanent reduction in the size of the state – even if that means a massive rise in unemployment?

Labour did not cause the financial crisis.

Under our new leader, Ed Miliband, we will have a credible and responsible policy for securing the economic recovery that will not penalise the poor and vulnerable for the mistakes of the banks."

Liz Brighouse Leader of the Labour Group Oxfordshire County Council New Road Oxford