Sir, What a refreshing Prime Minister’s Question Time we were able to watch, for the first time in months (report, Dec 8).

He will still have to prove his worth but David Cameron has shown the country that he is an intelligent and skilful speaker and his calm demeanour surely impressed the Commons. The contrast with what we have seen in politics of late could hardly have been greater.

MARIA-ANTOINETTE CROSSMAN
Great Maplestead, Essex

Sir, David Cameron’s assured and polished first performance left Tony Blair looking the more uneasy of the pair, with final honours certainly even, if not in Cameron’s favour.

ANDY JESSETT
Billingshurst, W Sussex

Sir, England contains 85 per cent of the UK’s electorate. All but a handful of the Tories’ parliamentary seats are in England, where they won more votes than Labour at the election this year. Now, uniquely among the nine party leaders in the Commons, David Cameron is English, by birth, upbringing, education, home and constituency.

His election enables the Conservative Party, at last, to accept comfortably its destiny in the age of devolution as, primarily, the party of England.

JANET RUSHTON
Maignaut Tauzia, France

Sir, The Conservative leadership election has given the country its next prime minister, who will lead the UK into a successful future. I refer not to David Cameron, but to William Hague’s return to the front bench. By the next election the party will have realised that the now mature Hague is the true man for the job.

PETER A. RUSHFORTH
Cullingworth, W Yorks

Sir, Daniel Finkelstein notes how a bunch of very able people who served together in the Conservative Research Department (CRD) have regrouped to work with their friend and former colleague, the new Tory leader (Comment, Dec 7).

The CRD is indeed a fine political nursery. In its 76-year history it has even managed to produce two Labour ministers, Lord Longford and Alan Howarth, so it well understands the more consensual approach to politics that will be the hallmark of the Cameron years.

When I interviewed David for a CRD post in 1988 — the high noon of Thatcherism — we discussed how old-fashioned Tory paternalism might be reformulated to suit the times ahead. All those years ago he came up with the phrase compassionate Conservatism.

I am ashamed to say that I did not immediately see it as an absolute winner.

ALISTAIR COOKE
Deputy Director, CRD, 1985-97
London SW1

Sir, David Cameron was elected by 53 per cent of the party membership, not the 68 per cent reported. 253,689 ballot papers were issued, of which 134,446 were cast for Cameron and 64,598 for Davis (25 per cent); 54,845 members abstained or spoilt their papers by writing Kenneth Clarke or a similar message on them. This represents 22 per cent of the party membership, which cannot be ignored.

CLAUDE KAUFFMANN
Guildford

Sir, How can a “dyed-in-the-wool” Conservative possibly feel at home with the Liberal Democrats (letter, Dec 7)?

It might be a good idea to encourage a few more such defections, to frighten the real Conservatives back to the fold.

R. JONES
Modbury, Devon

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