Conservative divisions

SIR – Tories are supposed to believe in free trade, free enterprise, free speech, lower taxes, in freeing individuals from state bureaucracies and, above all, in democracy.

As none of this sits comfortably with EU membership, one wonders what the Prime Minister and her sympathisers are doing in the Conservative Party.

Michael A St Clair-george

Rye, East Sussex

SIR – Your headline runs: “Moderate Tories aim to avert party split over Brexit” (August 13). It should run: “Moderate Tories aim to put party before country”.

However, it won’t work. The Chequers deal is loathed by the majority of voters, as is Theresa May. Brino (Brexit in name only) will keep the Tories out of power for decades. Deservedly. And they will still be split. Professor Alan Sked

London School of Economics London WC2

SIR – I am a Conservative voter and shall remain one. However, I am amazed by the way Labour has managed to become tied up with Jeremy Corbyn’s nonsense at a time when the party should have a shot at the ultimate goal.

The Tories are totally preoccupied with Brexit and their MPS are serving up plenty of reasons to criticise them. So what is going on? Christopher Thrift

Easton Piercy, Wiltshire

SIR – The leader of the Scottish Tories, Ruth Davidson (“If we don’t tax online behemoths fairly our high street will vanish”, Comment, August 14), makes a convincing case – with two caveats.

Her argument on this, the NHS, the EU and pretty much everything else is exactly that advanced by leading figures in every other British political party: that more tax would solve every issue. Secondly, it is not clear how you could tax overseas online companies. Such a tax would seem an analogue solution for a digital age. Tony Devenish

London Assembly Member (Con) London SE1