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'Diogo Jota: Our beloved Scouse Wolf' - Reader letters for July 11

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Percy Thrower was a much-loved gardening expert on the BBC children’s programme Blue Peter. He was also a renowned horticulturalist, proudly based in Shropshire. He is pictured here in 1986 with business partner Duncan Murphy at the Percy Thrower Gardening Centre.
Percy Thrower was a much-loved gardening expert on the BBC children’s programme Blue Peter. He was also a renowned horticulturalist, proudly based in Shropshire. He is pictured here in 1986 with business partner Duncan Murphy at the Percy Thrower Gardening Centre.

Our beloved Scouse Wolf

It began at home in twenty-fourteen, a kid with a vision, the impossible dream.

Twists and turns, opponents you’d rile, you attack with poise and score with a smile.The wolf soon howls and calls your name. Golden eighteen is yours to claim.

With grit and guile, skill and pace, you lead the pack to their rightful place.

Hope renewed, the Wolves want more, with silky play you drop Luke Shaw.

Fans gasp for breath, emotions mixed, the rippling net, your legend fixed.A new voice sang, and then you heard, the mighty roar of Liverbirds.

With your left foot and right foot, goals aplenty,  you helped the Kop to number twenty.Dozens of memories, so many blurred, away day pens, late goals at Spurs.

We took for granted, the class you ooze, then a new day dawned, and we woke to the news.“It doesn’t make sense, he’s just twenty-eight?” No one can fathom, this cruel twist of fate.

A tyre was blown with incalculable cost. A wife and three children now broken, lost.When Toffees and Devils and cities unite, to rise in a chorus as your soul takes flight;

Just know that your children, long after they're grown, shall never EVER walk alone.And forever you’ll hear, in summer or snow: “He’s better than Figo, don’t you know?”

“OHHH,” we’ll sing with friends and foe…HIS NAME IS DIOGO!"

Matthew Thompson, 

West Midlands

Benefits story was misleading

Recent headlines suggest disability benefits are out of control, but this is misleading. The rise in claims, especially during Covid, reflects genuine needs, not abuse. Using terms like "hotspots" and "significant misuse" only stigmatise disabled people, implying laziness or dishonesty – an unfair stereotype.

Benefits are vital for individuals and local economies. They support those facing health challenges, keep money circulating in communities, and create jobs. Instead of cutting welfare, we should focus on fair taxation and investment in public services, which benefits everyone.

Demonising claimants ignores complex realities and perpetuates social division. Supporting vulnerable populations isn’t charity—it's smart economics. Let’s challenge harmful narratives, promote empathy, and recognise that social support helps build a stronger Britain for us all.

Mark Webster, Disability Officer, 

The Green Party