Your correspondent Tony Barker (Standard, Letters, May 10 and Gazette, Letters, May 9, "I’m anti-Tory but I want Laws back") implies in his letter that you should vote for the person and not the party when considering who your local councillor should be.

Many people would find this difficult, including myself.

Darius Laws might indeed put himself out and about and conduct council business to the best of his ability but he is first and foremost a Conservative and presumably supports Conservative policies which some people (including Mr Barker as he proudly states he is anti Tory) find totally unacceptable.

By voting for a councillor that belongs to a party with which you fundamentally disagree is a tacit nod of support to that party.

It would be interesting to find out how Mr Barker rationalises that dichotomy.

Ronnie Hannan

Baden Powell Drive, Colchester