SIR – I must take issue with Alan Chapman, (‘New Maggie needed’, Letters, November 20).

Well, Alan, you might be happy with our decimated manufacturing base and increased reliance on service industries such as Wonga and banking. I am not.

Add to that the sale of the family silver and break-up of state-owned industries such as gas and electricity – now run for the benefit of ‘investors’ who don’t actually invest in their businesses but borrow for that.

I’m mad as hell to see Yorkshire Water back in public hands, now part-owned by the Government of Singapore! Indeed, EdF, (Electricite de France), and foreign national wealth funds own significant parts of our former state utilities, with generous profits going abroad.

We need another woman like that like we need to pay the French to run our essential services!

John Hall, Pennithorne Avenue, Baildon