Sir.-I write with regard to Mr Hunter's comments featured in last week's Basingstoke Extra.

I, too, believe we must act to ensure more people become engaged in the political process, but I was intrigued by his comments regarding the Brent East by-election that he felt it was "deeply depressing" that a 29-year-old woman has been elected.

Is Mr Hunter disappointed because Sarah is 29, is a woman, or both?

If we are to encourage more people to come out and vote, we must get away from the stereotypical image of an MP and elect more women, more young people and more people from ethnic minorities.

Low turnouts are bad for democracy, but until politics changes and we get more people in Parliament that are more representative of the make up of modern Britain, the trend of less and less people going to the polls will continue.

This is where the Liberal Democrats come in.

In the face of the dismal result in Brent East for both the Tories and Labour, we offered a fresh approach.

This has been replicated at a local level too.

Both in the county by-election earlier this year, and the county elections prior to that, the Liberal Democrats won from third place taking two seats, one from Labour and one from the Conservatives.

The latest polls published at the weekend put all three parties on a par, signalling that there is everything to play for at the next General Election.

And finally, if voting Conservative is the answer to all our prayers, why has Mr Hunter, himself, resigned the Tory whip and signalled such interest in the DUP?

Jen Smith, Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Spokesperson for Basingstoke.