Marks out of 10 for the PM?

Edwina Currie – former Conservative minister.

What marks would you give the prime minister out of 10?

I would say 8.5 for David Cameron. I think he’s doing extremely well in very difficult circumstances and I’m delighted to see the government is sticking to its guns and to its programme.

What does the Conservative party need to do to win the next general election?

Bear in mind I was part of Margaret Thatcher’s government back in the eighties and she would do all the tough stuff at the beginning of the term in office reasoning by the time we got to the end of a term people would feel the benefits. My own feeling is we should be doing exactly the same and stick to it. Austerity’s not fun but if it means at the end of that time the economy is growing properly with the private sector growing faster than the public sector then I think we’ll win.

Who is your favourite Conservative politician?

I’m very fond of some of the new intake of MPs; I think there are some tremendous people there. I’ve known Dr Dan Poulter since he was a little lad and I’m very impressed with people like Elizabeth Truss. There are some really good people coming up with real brains on their shoulders and I think they’re going to be a wonderful government in future.

Jamelia – singer

What marks would you give the prime minister out of 10?

At the moment I’d give him about a seven.

What does the Conservative party need to do to win the next general election?

I think more concern for people who have been affected by the cuts. I would like to see more investment to people on lower incomes.

Who is your favourite Conservative politician?

Lord Strathclyde because he’s a brilliant speaker and lots of fun – someone I can get along with.

Mohammed Amin – Conservative Muslim Forum

What marks would you give the prime minister out of 10?

I would give David Cameron eight out of 10. I think he’s done a great deal to transform the party since he became leader in 2005. When he became prime minister in 2010 he inherited a very difficult situation and he didn’t have a majority so if he hadn’t negotiated a coalition agreement we would still be looking at a Labour prime minister so I think he’s done a great deal.

What does the Conservative party need to do to win the next general election?

We need to outreach into inner cities. The Conservative party polls very badly in inner cities. To do that we need to reach ethnic minorities where Lord Ashcroft’s polling and focus groups show we do very badly. Secondly we need to win back working class Tory voters.

Who is your favourite Conservative politician?

Boris Johnson – I like a man who understands Latin and Greek!

Professor Jonathan Shalit

What marks would you give the prime minister out of 10?

I’d give the prime minister 10 at the moment.

What does the Conservative party need to do to win the next general election?

More effective communication to the public. I think sometimes the message gets lost. It’s difficult to get the message across because different media interpret policies in different ways but the fact remains the serious issues are being addressed and it takes time to mend what was broken in the past.

Who is your favourite Conservative politician?

David Cameron – he became leader of the party because he was the best available.

Zara Albright – party member

What marks would you give the prime minister out of 10?

I think I’d give him five. I think he’s done well so far but I think there’s a lot more we need to do. I think we definitely need a referendum on Europe and until we get that it’s a five I’m afraid.

What does the Conservative party need to do to win the next general election?

Referendum on Europe. I personally would like us to get out of the EU altogether but I think democratically we need to have a referendum and I think if we don’t do that I can see UKIP taking advantage of that.

Who is your favourite Conservative politician?

I would say William Hague. I think he’s got the leadership skills to take the party in a good direction, he’s just not leader at the moment unfortunately.