I WAS disbelieving when I heard that the BBC proposes to broadcast a series of programmes, interviewing Tory leadership contenders, to be called, ‘Our Next Prime Minister’.

Of what benefit will this be to all of the licence-payers and others who are not paid-up members of the Conservative party and so cannot vote for any of the candidates?

Given that a general election cannot be too far away, how could these programmes not be seen as showing undue bias in favour of the Conservative Party?

In my opinion, it would risk giving the uninformed viewer the illusion that some sort of general election was taking place (which it isn’t), and that those appearing in it are the ‘only show in town’ when it comes to finding a future leader for our country (which they most certainly are not).

A Tory leadership election is not the same as a general election, although I suspect that the Tory grandees would very much like us to think that it is; thus avoiding the tiresome necessity of them having to put forward a manifesto for voters to scrutinise and to vote thereupon

These most extraordinary programmes, that the BBC are proposing to air, seem to me to be nothing more than a cynical, thinly-veiled attempt to hoodwink the masses into believing that, somehow, they had chosen a new leader of the country (which they won’t have).

The BBC must not be allowed to broadcast this programme.

It only has any real significance, or merit, for the 120,000 or so paid-up Conservative Party members who will be involved in a postal vote to elect their party leader from the ranks of those appearing in the programmes.

Such patently obvious, undemocratic, unrepresentative ‘niche’ programming has no place in our national broadcaster’s schedule; nor does it have any justifiable right to have licence-payers’ money spent upon it.

Stuart Fretwell

Killicks Hill

Portland