Nigel Farage has proven himself unworthy of holding high office

I am generally not in favour of giving Nigel Farage the publicity he so obviously craves, but I am grateful to Nick Robinson for giving Farage the opportunity to repeat how much he admires Vladimir Putin.

If we did not know before, we now have confirmation from Farage himself that this is the sort of leader he aspires to be. Which is, of course, why he must never be allowed to hold such an office.

Helen Bore

North Yorkshire

Reading the predictions that Rishi Sunak might be the first sitting PM to lose his seat at a general election prompted me to mention a very close call – possibly the closest – from the previous century.

Arthur Balfour tactically resigned as PM for the Conservative Party, without calling an election, on 4 December 1905. He remained in parliament as leader of the opposition for only a short time before the Liberals called the general election for January 1906, when he lost his Manchester East seat.

Coincidentally, the 1906 election was the biggest landslide defeat for the Tories ever. So, it looks quite likely that two records are about to be broken.

Robert Boston

Kent

When will the media stop crying about the threat to state education from the influx of pupils resulting from the imposition of VAT on school fees? The figures I have read suggest that only 5 per cent of children attend private schools, and it has been estimated that only around 5 per cent of them may have to leave. That’s only 0.25 per cent – surely not worthy of this kind of panic!

G Forward

Stirling

It has long been obvious that Nigel Farage’s self-satisfaction was something he had in common with Vladimir Putin. But in the recent Panorama interview with Nick Robinson, he declared himself to be in sympathy with Putin’s view of Nato near his borders.

Paranoia and excessive self-confidence are two of the hallmarks of tyrants.

We should be very afraid.

Susan Alexander

South Gloucestershire

With every purchase we make, we may unknowingly endorse animal suffering. Testing on animals for cosmetics and ingredients linked to household items continues despite the growing availability of modern alternatives, and could be linked to many more items in our homes than we would like to know, including clothes, furniture, electronic goods and paint.

This election gives us the power to push for change. By encouraging candidates to prioritise animal protection, we can align our shopping habits with our values and lead the way to a cruelty-free future. It’s an issue that affects us all, and it’s time our policies reflected that.

Charlotte Clark

Isleworth