The Conservative Party now risks becoming a mere footnote in history
SIR – Your headline on the “existential threat” facing the Tories (April 6) understates the party’s position.
The Conservatives’ demise is already under way, as the Newport West by-election on April 4 demonstrated. There, although Labour had its lowest vote and lowest majority ever, it still romped home. With a swing to other parties of well over 12 per cent, the seat could have been won – but since almost 10,000 Conservative voters sat on their hands, a Labour victory was easily achieved.
The Conservative Party is fated to echo the Whigs – who, despite dominating British politics for
150 years, are now a long-forgotten footnote in history. A cursory glance at the response of party activists and members, let alone voters, will show that this is anything but fanciful. William Goodwin
Cambridge
SIR – This cowardly and timid Parliament seems close to achieving its ambition of a second referendum. Having voted both Labour and Conservative over the years, my next vote will assuredly be for whatever “populist” party emerges that will drain the Westminster swamp. Graham Wilson
Bedlington, Northumberland
SIR – I received an email from the Conservative Party on Thursday night; my ipad filed it for me under “Junk”. Raymond Kite
Keston, Kent
SIR – I would urge everyone to think long and hard before they abstain from voting in any forthcoming general election, and instead save their protest votes for what now looks like an inevitable European election.
Selecting the appropriate candidates then will send a strong message to both the Conservative Party and the European Union. Roger Gentry
Sutton-at-hone, Kent SIR – Sadly, I see no signs from within the Conservative Party’s ranks of a potential successor to the wellmeaning but utterly hapless Prime Minister. It is a measure of the current Government that there is apparently no one within it with the necessary qualities of charisma, honesty, integrity and loyalty to lead the party into the future, whether inside or outside the European Union. Tony Boullemier
Northampton
SIR – The Tory party currently has a number of MPS who have served in the Armed Forces, including Tom Tugendhat, Tobias Ellwood, Rory Stewart and Johnny Mercer.
I imagine that during their time of service they learnt organisational skills, leadership and the ability to put other people’s lives above saving their own skins: talents sadly lacking in the top ranks of the present Cabinet. Is it not time to pick a new leader from some of these younger MPS? Helen Bessemer-clark
Charlbury, Oxfordshire