Letter published in the Sunday Telegraph
Sir, As chairmen of university Conservative branches, we believe that the next party leader must reach out to the new generation of voters; firstly, by instigating a bold policy renewal on public services based on our fundamental principles of personal choices and responsibility; second, by confirming a clear position regarding Europe which safeguards this country's ability to govern itself and allows the party's other key policies to attain the wider recognition which they merit; and third, by continuing to create the image of freshness, integrity, and unity which will attract the increasing number of people who have become disillusioned with New Labour. Both candidates command a huge amount of respect, but we sincerely believe that only Iain Duncan Smith could be confident of successfully leading a united party forward by fulfilling all these criteria. For this reason we are pledging our full support to him.
Matthew Barber, Brunel; Edmund Sutton, Oxford; Tom Packer, LSE; Alex Dunn, Durham; James Lockwood, KCL; Florence Heath, Imperial College; Nick Toms, York; Dan Thomas, Exeter; Jason Sender, Leeds; James Roebuck, St Andrew's; Sam Dobbyn, Bath; Daniel Dalton, Coventry