Colin Ross, Dunsterville Road, Ivybridge, writes:

Ours is supposedly the ­oldest parliamentary democracy in the world, and we talk often of our British belief in fair play. Yet with the Trade Union Bill, this government is putting these values at risk.

We have already seen MPs make it harder to register to vote; soon they will redraw the parliamentary map in a way that benefits the Conservative Party.

Furthermore, hidden in the Trade Union Bill is a clause that is designed deliberately to cut off trade unions’ financial ­support for the Labour Party, while doing nothing to limit the hedge funds and millionaires who support the Tories.

They are attacking democracy by silencing opposition, whether from unions, campaigners or charities, and by changing the rules to make it harder for anyone else to win an election.

As the House of Lords debates the bill over the coming weeks, I can only hope the Government will take the opportunity to embody the ­values of democracy and decency it claims to support and drop these unfair ­proposals.