I am sorry, Gaby Hinsliff, but I cannot defend MPs’ booze culture (My advice to Hannah Spencer? Before calling out MPs’ boozing, try to understand the reasons behind it, 1 May). As a retired nurse, there were times when my colleagues and I were working long hours under a great deal of stress, often making life and death decisions. There is no excuse for drinking at work. Hannah Spencer was right to call it out.
Patricia Howlett
South Benfleet, Essex
• Friends at Abberton reservoir recently encountered a group of women in a bird hide who gave a whole new meaning to the term “hen party”. All glammed up (including in bride-to-be regalia), they were sporting binoculars and taking the birdwatching very seriously, confirming the RSPB’s findings (Gen Z leads birdwatching boom as more Britons reach for the binoculars, 1 May).
Jannet King
Brighton, East Sussex
