Letters | 3 March 2016

What might have been

Sir: Harry Mount points out that Boris Johnson is two years older than David Cameron (Diary, 27 February). Both, however, began their careers in the same year. On 15 June 1988 I interviewed David Cameron for a post in the Conservative Research Department; on 26 July it was Boris’s turn (‘Johnston’ in my diary). The former was signed up to cover trade and industry issues (memorably forgetting the trade figures when Mrs Thatcher asked him for them). Boris was invited to follow in the footsteps of father Stanley, who had been the department’s first environment expert in the Heath era. But journalism lured him away. Would they have forged a lifetime’s close and harmonious friendship if Boris had reached a different decision?
Alistair Lexden

Deputy Director, Conservative Research Department 1985-97

House of Lords, London SW1

Farage’s achievement

Sir: It is understandable why James Forsyth is comforted by the recent shift in the ‘out’ campaign’s ascendancy, from Nigel Farage to the political mainstream (‘The Tory dogfight’, 27 February).