16 MARCH 1974, Page 4

iir: . You are right to call for the resignation of

Mr Heath (March 9). After the U-turns of 1970-1974, the old slogan of "Edward Heath: man of principle" has turned sour in our mouths.

If the task of the Conservative Party is to conserve, it 'must secure office to stave off the threat from a Labour Party, which for once is committed to socialist policies. Out of the four elections into which he has led the Labour Party, Mr Wilson has won three. Yet since 1965, Mr Heath has one single election victory to his credit. Neither Mr Whitelaw nor Mr Carr Would offer us greatly different policies, I fear. But Mr Whitelaw particularly is more likely to succeed in the essential task of keeping out the Labour Party: For that reason alone, he should be given the opportunity to take over the leadership before the next general election.

Nigel Saul