In letters to the Times, correspondents from Devon & Cornwall offer different views:

Andy Burnham’s rewiring

Sir, Alice Thomson is right that politicians only seem to come to Cornwall to get sunburned and point at a fish, but we should be careful what we wish for (“Ignore southwest and PM will face a revolt”, Jul 1). Over many centuries, one of the attractions of living on the Celtic fringe has been that the government doesn’t often reach this far. If Andy Burnham really does manage to extend the government’s influence as far as Cornwall, then I worry that he will extend its interference as well. Maybe we should keep our heads down.
Peter Champness
Lostwithiel, Cornwall

Sir, I live in east Devon and know that the southwest is always last in line for any government grants. Transport to the peninsula is dire, as is the pollution of our rivers and seas. Plus, fewer of our young people go to university. To rectify all this we need our own Andy Burnham.
Nicola Daniel
Budleigh Salterton, Devon