Party leaders who could never be PM joined a rowdy audience to unbalance the BBC debate

SIR – At least five of the parties involved in the leaders’ debate on Wednesday night have no chance of being in power and were thus able to promise the Earth while never having to be accountable.

It is ridiculous that this rightly termed “coalition of chaos” should have been given equal air time to take pots shots at a potential government that will actually deal with realities.

Add to this the rowdiness which is second nature to the Left, and we had a recipe for perhaps the least balanced such programme ever. This was predictable and the BBC should be ashamed. David Sheret

Leeds, West Yorkshire

SIR – My sympathy goes to Amber Rudd, who fought the street fighters supremely well. Jeremy Corbyn looked as if he wished to be anywhere else than Cambridge. Of the remainder there was nothing to commend them.

The audience was the usual Left-wing noises off. Did they honestly believe in the junk and jargon coming from the mouths of their hopeful politicos? Frank Grimmer

Sherborne, Dorset

SIR – Wednesday night’s debate was a cynical last throw of the Remain campaign dice. Of the seven political representatives, five were for Remain, including Jeremy Corbyn.

It was one the worst political displays I have seen by those who cannot accept democracy. Philip Congdon

La Bastide d’engras, Gard, France

SIR – The leaders’ debate did not serve the public well. To give parity of attention to two political leaders (of Plaid Cymru and the SNP) that 90 per cent of the viewing public could not vote for, even if they wanted to, simply added to the noise without adding clarity.

However, if this is a policy of the broadcasters that is to continue, in the next election I look forward to seeing representatives from Sinn Fein and the DUP in the debate. Carol Forshaw

Bolton, Lancashire

SIR – What a rabble. Just image any of them being members of a coalition. Michael Stone

Wadhurst, East Sussex

SIR – The cacophonous, Left-leaning mob on the BBC election debate brought to mind the observation of W H Vanstone, the distinguished post-war Anglican theologian, who likened the Church to “a swimming pool: all the noise comes from the shallow end”. Jonathan Mcevoy

London SW6

SIR – The election on June 8 is not a presidential election. We should be focusing not only on party leaders but also on the people available to them to fill government posts.

Theresa May has a wide range of able and competent people available to form an effective government team. Jeremy Corbyn has not. Frank Tomlin

Billericay, Essex

SIR – The Labour Party manifesto considers Brexit negotiations on page 24. The text suggests that the Labour Party will negotiate with a view to the UK remaining within the EU. The relevant text is: “We will scrap the Conservatives’ Brexit White Paper and replace it with fresh negotiating priorities that have a strong emphasis on retaining the benefits of the Single Market and the Customs Union.”

Remaining in the Single Market and Customs Union means accepting the free movement of people and the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice. I suspect that this is why Jeremy Corbyn has been evasive when asked about levels of net migration. It is unlikely that Labour will win outright, but this position would be acceptable to the Lib Dems and the SNP. Kenneth Barnsley

Belper, Derbyshire