Letter: The prob­lem is not Tory lead­ers but Tory mem­bers

Talk is already wide­spread about who the next leader of the Con­ser­vat­ive party should be (Report, June 19). What the party really needs, though, is not a new leader but a new mem­ber­ship. The record of the exist­ing member­ship is not encour­aging. They have selec­ted in quick suc­ces­sion the five most dis­astrous prime min­is­ters since Eden. I am not encour­aged that their next choice will be any bet­ter. So something deeper needs to change before the elect­or­ate at large is likely to be will­ing to trust their judg­ment.

Nich­olas West­cott
Lon­don SW15, UK

Letter in response to this letter:

Tory MPs are the problem, not ordinary members / From David Soskin, Former Special Adviser to the Prime Minister, No 10 Policy Unit, Petworth, West Sussex, UK