Oliver Letwin: You Ask The Questions

In one sentence, what's the difference between the Conservatives today and the Conservatives in 1997?

Stephen Namnyak

We are more ambitious, more united, and more at ease with the modern Britain we seek to represent.

Lots of your policies seem perfectly reasonable. But I am nervous that when you get into power you will revert to "nasty party" type. How would you convince me that won't happen?

Mary Stillwell, Durham

We want to see a country where people have more opportunity and power over their lives; where families are stronger and society is more responsible; and one which is safer and greener. I know that we are committed to delivering this. But I also know that, in the end, we will only be able to convince you that this is really our agenda if we prove it to you by doing it – and we can do that only if you give us the chance to put it into practice in Government.

In view of the terrible mess we are now in what are your solutions to resolve the financial crisis?

Anthony Davies, Burton on Trent

There is no magic wand which will cure the mess that Labour have created. We need to start living within our means as a government, and ensure that public spending grows more slowly than the economy over the economic cycle. That is the only sustainable way to restore the public finances to health. In the short term, we have recommended that the Government can help people through the hard times by doing things like introducing a fair fuel stabiliser that makes fuel duty go down when petrol prices and the Government's North Sea oil revenues go up.

After the last election you said your biggest goal for the next parliament was to help towards the government's goals on greenhouse gas emissions. What have you done to achieve that?

Jennifer Bowers, Southampton

Since the last election, our campaigning has forced the Government to introduce the Climate Change Bill; we have pushed the Government into changing air passenger duty so that it gives a proper incentive to use aeroplanes more carbon-efficiently; we have announced a radical policy to provide feed-in tariffs for low carbon micro-generation; we have announced another radical policy to ensure that no new coal stations are built without carbon capture and storage; we have exposed the intellectually disgraceful nature of the Government's supposed argument for a third runway at Heathrow; and we are preparing a comprehensive green paper on a realistic strategy for achieving a low carbon economy.

You work in corporate finance, and plenty of your Conservative colleagues have similar directorships. How can we take your party seriously as anti-poverty champions?

Tania Mills, Hull

New Labour came to power promising to deliver both social justice and economic efficiency. They were right to think that only a Government which understands how to produce economic efficiency can hope to tackle poverty. But over the past decade, the evidence shows that they have failed to deliver either of those goals.

Conservatives understand that you can't tackle poverty in the long term only by relying on means-tested benefits to offset the effects of poverty. Our aims are more ambitious. We want to tackle the underlying causes of poverty and build a Britain in which people are enabled to lift themselves sustainably out of poverty.

Do you still want to cut public spending by billions? If not, what's changed since you said so in 2001, apart from the political weather?

William Jones, Newcastle

I have always believed that we need public spending to grow more slowly than the economy across the economic cycle. The difference between now and four or eight years ago is that if we had adopted this policy then, we could now have had tax cuts, whereas Mr Brown has run out of money and the next government will have to put the public finances back into order before it can do anything more.

I and many others are groaning under the weight of tax I pay. Why won't the Conservatives pledge to give us a break?

Dean Milligan, London

Of course we would like to see taxes come down over time. But the judgment George Osborne made two years ago – that Gordon Brown had not left enough money in the kitty to enable us responsibly to promise any immediate net tax cuts – has been completely vindicated. As George rightly says, Mr Brown failed to repair the roof while the sun was shining. It is now leaking badly, and we need to patch it up before we can do anything else.

Crime has fallen since Labour came to power. So why not stop bleating about a broken society?

Tristan Sinclair Davis, via email

If you look at violent crime and gun crime, they have both risen under this government. Violent crime has risen by 80 per cent, 27 teenagers were killed in London last year and since the start of the year 21 teenagers have been murdered in London alone. We have one of the highest rates of family breakdown in Europe and millions of people have been left languishing on benefits. If you don't think that these aspects of our society need mending, than I am afraid I profoundly disagree with you.

Who would you rather face in an election: Gordon Brown or David Miliband?

Daniel Lawrence, London

Whoever the Labour leader is at the time of the next election, it is clear that they aren't the change that the country needs. Real change will come only if the replacement for Gordon Brown is David Cameron.

As Conservative Party policy chief is it your job to announce as few explicit policies as possible? Why do I feel like the Conservatives are just a vacuum?

Richard Berry, Crawley

If you think we don't have any policies, may I suggest that you consult the Conservative website, where you will find the first seven green papers. If those interest you, please keep on looking at the website over coming months, because you will find a whole series of further green papers. My great hope is that our policies – because we have worked them out carefully, rather than rushing them – will stand the test of time.

David Cameron promised to end Punch-and-Judy politics. So why does he bully and harangue Brown the way he does in PMQs?

Michelle Wickham, Manchester

David Cameron has held his hands up and said that this is one promise he made that he hasn't been able to deliver. In the Commons, the Prime Minister's style means that David has to take a robust approach. But when it comes to legislation, the Conservatives under David have voted according to national interest, not partisan advantage.

You're meant to be one of the big brains in the Conservative party. Why don't we hear more from you?

Victoria Pantsil, via email

I'm mainly sitting in rooms with colleagues getting the hard work of policy formation done. That is quite enough of a job for one person.

You were at one time mentioned as a possible Conservative leader. Do you think you would make a good leader?

Jean Simpson, Liverpool

No.

You were a member of the Cambridge University Liberal Club. How did you come to the decision to switch from left to right of the political divide, and what made you change your mind?

Thomas Lim, High Wycombe

I was also a member of the Fabian Society. But I am sorry to have to tell you that this was because I was interested in the thoughts of Liberals and Fabians (and still am) rather than because I was ever a Liberal Democrat or a Fabian.

Who do you most admire in the Labour Party?

Tracy Lanning, Worcester

Frank Field – he taught us about the catastrophic effects of means testing in retirement.

Tell me a secret about Oliver Letwin.

Jo Lynas, Bournemouth

I can't stand football.