Another gimmick from Sunak in a contest of loose pledges and U-turns

SIR – Rishi Sunak’s proposal to expand the definition of extremism to include those who hate Britain (report, August 3) is both vague and impractical.

It would be hard to implement, and risk focusing security resources on what are effectively “hate thoughts”. Hannah Hunt

Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire

SIR – It was distressing to hear Liz Truss claiming that her plans to cut public-sector pay outside London – on which she performed a U-turn – had been “misrepresented”. Indeed, it was almost Johnsonian.

Harold Macmillan said that the art of politics was to turn angles into curves. In recent years, politicians have been turning them into lines so wiggly as to be unrecognisable.

Andrew Moth

St Ives, Cornwall

SIR – Where are Ms Truss and Mr Sunak finding all the fag packets? Michael Heaton

Warminster, Wiltshire

SIR – Regardless of any alleged U-turns, Liz Truss has demonstrated that she has an optimistic and purposeful vision, together with the leadership qualities necessary for the top job.

She has experience of a range of government departments, and is ready to bring in policies that will build on the foundations laid down by Boris Johnson.

John Sharp

Great Glen, Leicestershire

SIR – I would encourage Conservative Party members to review properly the much-heralded achievements of Liz Truss in government. These, they will find, consisted largely of cut-and-paste trade agreements.

Rishi Sunak, by contrast, had to deal head-on with the economic impact of Covid. He quickly devised and rolled out substantial financial support across the country.

The irony is that the rise in National Insurance contributions this year will provide much of the money that Ms Truss promises to give back in the form of tax cuts. The main purpose of this increase was actually to help fund social care.

It’s easy to be populist and promise money you don’t have to charm your target audience – but I hope voters are not so easily bought.

Jonathan Stobart

Abingdon, Oxfordshire

SIR – There are up to 200,000 members of the Conservative Party who are responsible for selecting their new leader.

Why do the rest of us have to be bombarded with information about the contest? We have no say in it: let them just get on with it and tell us the outcome.

Dr Hilary Murray Bala, Merionethshire

SIR – I have a feeling that whoever loses the leadership contest will look back on it in the middle of winter and breathe a massive sigh of relief. Simon Morpuss Stratford-upon-avon, Warwickshire