I WAS surprised that two men had written about the five per cent “tampon tax” in your letters page (D&S Times, Nov 6) as I thought this would not be an issue of great concern to the male half of the population.

Given their sensitive comments on the subject, I have been prompted to write to our MP, Rishi Sunak. I will not repeat the personal details I put in my e-mail, but I am sure you have women readers of a similar age to myself who remember what we had to use, as girls, before tampons were invented!

I wonder if Mr Sunak’s attitude in voting to keep this tax reflects his feelings about sex equality in general.

It is surely not right to consider tampons as a luxury an item which all women of menstruating age have to use, while regarding razors, which many men these days choose not to use, as a necessity.

I agree with your correspondent Bryan Tyldesley and I too would like to see Mr Sunak publicly justify in his weekly column in your newspaper his reasons for not backing the amendment.

Sheila Simms, Leyburn