SIR – As Labour’s new leader Ed Miliband’s lacklustre performance comes under increasing criticism from every direction, not least his own party (including some Labour peers), is it a case of ‘when’, not ‘if’ a challenge will be made soon?

Whatever the rumours, if I were a betting man, my money would be on Shadow Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper), who seems to have a better grasp of current affairs than most, plus the ability to get it across to the public in a way they understand.

Labour has never had a female leader, but Ms Cooper seems like a cross between Boudicea and Mrs Thatcher – a winning combination if ever there was one.

D S Boyes, Rodley Lane, Leeds