NOT THAT I am a great defender of politicians, but I think Mr Bradley (January 20) has misread Paul Flynn MP’s comments about asylum seekers. He was not encouraging them to Newport. He was drawing attention to the figures that showing we were taking more than our fair share here.

Compared with the posh areas in the country and those which have senior MPs like Cameron, Newport and other towns appear to be dumping grounds for them. If you read Paul Flynn’s blog, he makes that very clear.

Asylum seekers have been coming to the UK for centuries and although I agree the general issue of immigration needs a full assessment and tightening of our policies, genuine asylum seekers should be treated accordingly.

Mr Bradley, you seem to have extended this issue into a much wider comment on immigration, state of the town and, of course, voting. Could it be that this is part of the lead up to the forthcoming general election?

Jim Dyer, Stockton Road, Newport