Sir – Your correspondent Frank Newhofer speaks of the ‘terrible consequences’ that will result from the Conservatives having won an overall parliamentary majority despite winning the votes of only a quarter of the electorate, and of how a new political alliance is required to reflect the ‘values of the majority’.

 I wonder if Mr Newhofer was similarly exercised by the result of the 2005 General Election? I’m sure we all remember that was when Tony Blair’s Labour Party won a 66-seat overall majority despite a turnout 4.7 per cent lower than in this year’s election and 1.7 per cent fewer of the votes cast being for the winning party than were cast for the Conservatives this year.

I take the point that some people feel our first past the post electoral system is unfair because it usually delivers a majority government for one or other of the two largest parties, despite the party in question winning significantly less than half of the votes cast.

However, it’s worth remembering that several years ago there was a national referendum on the subject of replacing the first past the post system, and the electorate voted overwhelmingly for the status quo.

Chris Day
Yarnton