Conservative MPS have missed an opportunity to revitalise their party

sir – When I heard that Kemi Badenoch had been eliminated from the Conservative leadership contest, I felt more than a pang of disappointment. She is a breath of fresh air, has clear conservative instincts and expresses them well.

I joined the party when it became obvious that Theresa May was on her way out, hoping to have a direct say over the next leader and therefore prime minister. I will have that privilege now, but my choice is between two candidates who have been tainted by their roles in Boris Johnson’s Cabinet. Neither will inspire a new generation of Tory voters.

This already feels like a doomed exercise, which will see no real change in direction or improvement in the Tories’ electoral performance. Rory Aird

Slaugham, West Sussex

sir – Our next prime minister will be either a multi-millionaire offering tax increases and wage restraint or a woman who seems to have difficulty communicating in a normal manner. Clearly the Conservative Party needs a period in opposition to rediscover its core beliefs. It is now likely to get that. Francis Bown

London E3

sir – Will the Conservative Party really be mad enough to get rid of Boris Johnson, only to replace him with Liz Truss and her followers – Nadine Dorries, Jacob Rees-mogg and Iain Duncan Smith? Please spare the country this fate. David Summerscale

Mortagne-au-perche, Orne, France sir – Imagine Prime Minister’s Questions with Sir Keir Starmer opposing Liz Truss. Lutena Yates

Aveton Gifford, Devon sir – Conservative Party members would do well to remember that they are not voting for the person they most like – but the one for whom the national electorate is most likely to vote in two years’ time. That is surely Rishi Sunak. Mike Morris

Stourbridge, Worcestershire

sir – It is extraordinary that, after so many Tory MPS complained for so long about the tax increases imposed by the Government (in breach of the election manifesto), they have now chosen the man responsible as their favourite to take over from Boris Johnson.

After some of the best candidates have already been eliminated, we can only hope that Tory party members have more sense than the MPS. Malcolm Symonds

Ashtead, Surrey

sir – Whoever becomes the next prime minister: please give Mrs Badenoch a prominent position in your Cabinet. Elizabeth Edmunds

Hassocks, West Sussex