Theresa May and Boris Johnson set out their conference stalls but failed to clinch a sale
SIR – Theresa May lacks charisma and empathy. She is a poor speaker, slow on her feet and is encumbered with a lot of baggage from her time as home secretary.
Boris Johnson is self-centered, undiplomatic, shoots from the lip and is unpopular with Europe’s leaders. He is scruffy as well.
Both are sixpenny items on the threepenny counter. God help us. Malcolm Allen
Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire
SIR – Not only did the Prime Minister, Theresa May, make a superb speech, but she outshone Boris Johnson in my opinion.
While I am still against a Chequers deal, the last person we need as prime minister is Mr Johnson, who is not really interested in what the country needs, but purely in self-promotion. Mrs May will do very nicely for now. Sally A Williams
Dinas Cross, Pembrokeshire SIR – Asking Conservative Party members to unite around something they are not united about and which to most is a betrayal of the Leave vote, is not leadership but dictatorship.
Theresa May has to go now, not after Brexit. She does not represent the people of this country nor most of the Conservative Party.
Nobody but a few acolytes want the Chequers plan. To remain still half in the EU will be something the electorate will not forget for a very long time and would be a disaster for this country. Gwyneth Owen
Calne, Wiltshire
SIR – The Prime Minister filled her slot at the party conference by talking about everything from the First World War onwards.
When she finally got to Brexit she cited her plan but studiously avoided calling it “Chequers” because the term is so toxic.
Mrs May tried to make it appear that she is a true Brexit believer, because she needs to stop a leadership challenge. Overall, her speech gave a weak vision of the future as she played with words to try to keep herself in No 10. Elaine Mckie
Appleby, Westmorland
SIR – Mrs May volunteered for the hardest job of any post-war prime minister. Reversing decades of social and economic evolution in two years is a nightmarish task, especially when subjected to constant mutiny.
She has stumbled far less than many would have, and I believe one day she will be given credit for what in the circumstances has been an heroic effort. James Dixon
Stanningfield, Suffolk
SIR – By totally undermining the Prime Minister in her efforts to secure the best Brexit outcome for Britain, Mr Johnson is handing the keys of No 10 to Jeremy Corbyn. John C Nixon
Wyre Piddle, Worcestershire SIR – When are Conservative MPS going to realise that Mr Johnson is their one chance to keep Mr Corbyn out? He may have many flaws but to lambast him as a court jester is ludicrous; he is the only potential leader with a vision for our country. He appeals to grassroots Tories and to many Labour voters and has at least a chance of uniting the majority of the people once again. Adrian Waller
Woodsetts, South Yorkshire SIR – She’s a manager; he’s a leader. David Smith Waterbeach, Cambridgeshire
SIR – It is time for the Conservatives to appoint a classicist. Like engineers, they know how things actually work. Graham Clifton
Kingston upon Thames, Surrey
SIR – If he were promised a state visit, could Donald Trump be persuaded to negotiate Brexit on our behalf? Neville Landau
London SW19