I WOULD like to reply to the criticism of the coalition government by Dr Charlie Willingham (Letters, January 19) over their handling of the economy.

On David Laws’ first day as chief secretary of the Treasury in May 2010, he was greeted with a note from his predecessor, Liam Byrne, saying: “Dear chief treasurer, I’m afraid to tell you there’s no money left. Kind regards and good luck! Liam.”

That tongue-in-cheek comment wasn’t far from the truth.

Mr Laws revealed that the previous Treasury ministerial team were signing off cheques left, right and centre when their own civil servants were telling them the money wasn’t there (far from paying the price, Mr Byrne is now Labour’s spokesman for the Department for Work and Pensions).

Nicholas Macpherson, the Treasury’s permanent secretary, has said that public spending at the Ministry of Defence, the Department of Health and the Department of Education was out of control over the past decade.

The ‘economic disaster’ Dr Willingham refers to was the poisoned chalice David Cameron and Nick Clegg inherited. They’ve had no alternative but to tackle the deficit.

Had they not done so, it is very feasible this country could have gone cap in hand to the International Monetary Fund or the EU for a bail out.

As for references to social destruction, the seeds were sown years ago when the Labour Party decided via their Human Rights Act that you can acquire rights without the responsibility that goes with them.

MATTHEW BELL, Bettiscombe Close, Canford Heath