Saturday, July 27, 2024
Tory leadership disarray
So far one of the leading campaigners, Tom Tugendhat has had to amend his rather laboured campaign slogan because it created an acrostic which spelt out TURD. But in many ways that is just a side issue.
The Independent reports that rightwing Tory MP Suella Braverman’s bid to replace Rishi Sunak as Tory leader may come to an end before it even begins despite huge support among ordinary party members.
The paper says that it understands that the former home secretary is struggling to get the ten MPs needed to put her on the ballot paper to become the next Conservative leader as rightwing Brexiteers look at Robert Jenrick as an alternative candidate.
They say that her allies that have warned that a “Stop Suella” campaign is running among parliamentarians because of the “uncomfortable truths” she spoke about the state of the party and her enormous support among ordinary members:
A survey by the Conservative Post has been sent to 14,000 verified registered party members with dramatic results. From the first 3,091 respondents Ms Braverman has picked up more than 1,000 votes as the best leader well ahead of former business secretary Kemi Badenoch in second place with just over 400. The two centrist One Nation candidates on the left of the party - James Cleverly and Tom Tugendhat - are trailing in the last two places with less than 300.
The contrast between the MPs and members appears to show that the rift between the two groups is widening even after the catastrophic election defeat on 4 July.
While Ms Braverman’s rightwing rhetoric is popular among members, MPs have claimed she is “too toxic” to win over the wider public.
Ms Braverman has attracted negative headlines with her support for the Rwanda deportation scheme as “her dream”, her description of pro-Gaza supporters as “hate marchers”, her call to takeaway homeless people’s tents, her claim that LGBTQ+ flag “represented child mutilation which left her physically repulsed” and her description of imigrants arriving on small boats as “an invasion”.
But supporters have warned that keeping Ms Braverman off the ballot paper will be the last straw for many ordinary members who are generally more rightwing than the party’s MPs.
Braverman ally Claire Bullivant, editor of the Conservative Post and chief executive of the grassroots Conservative Democratic Organisation (CDO), warned that keeping Ms Braverman off the ballot could destroy the party.
She told The Independent: “There appears to be a Stop Suella campaign among MPs. They must be afraid of her popularity with members and her ability to articulate their conservative values as well as identify what has been going wrong since the removal of Boris Johnson.
"After the disaster of the election MPs have no right to continue to act in this arrogant way.
"If Suella is kept off the ballot then it will only serve to widen the rift between ordinary party members and MPs. MPs need to remember who stuck by them, delivered their leaflets, knocked doors and took abuse for them during a very difficult campaign.”
Ms Bullivant has been tracking Tory membership moving to Reform UK which Nigel Farage announced last week had hit 70,000.
She said: "Unfortunately this unacceptable behaviour by MPs will have consequences. We are already seeing a flight of thousands of members defecting to Reform. If Suella is not even allowed on the ballot that switch to Nigel Farage will only get worse and accelerate.”
Ms Bullivant added: "We all believe in this great party and want to see it restored to power. But at the moment those holding power within it are leading it to destruction."
Perhaps we should get the popcorn while we watch the Tories tear themselves to pieces even more.
The Independent reports that rightwing Tory MP Suella Braverman’s bid to replace Rishi Sunak as Tory leader may come to an end before it even begins despite huge support among ordinary party members.
The paper says that it understands that the former home secretary is struggling to get the ten MPs needed to put her on the ballot paper to become the next Conservative leader as rightwing Brexiteers look at Robert Jenrick as an alternative candidate.
They say that her allies that have warned that a “Stop Suella” campaign is running among parliamentarians because of the “uncomfortable truths” she spoke about the state of the party and her enormous support among ordinary members:
A survey by the Conservative Post has been sent to 14,000 verified registered party members with dramatic results. From the first 3,091 respondents Ms Braverman has picked up more than 1,000 votes as the best leader well ahead of former business secretary Kemi Badenoch in second place with just over 400. The two centrist One Nation candidates on the left of the party - James Cleverly and Tom Tugendhat - are trailing in the last two places with less than 300.
The contrast between the MPs and members appears to show that the rift between the two groups is widening even after the catastrophic election defeat on 4 July.
While Ms Braverman’s rightwing rhetoric is popular among members, MPs have claimed she is “too toxic” to win over the wider public.
Ms Braverman has attracted negative headlines with her support for the Rwanda deportation scheme as “her dream”, her description of pro-Gaza supporters as “hate marchers”, her call to takeaway homeless people’s tents, her claim that LGBTQ+ flag “represented child mutilation which left her physically repulsed” and her description of imigrants arriving on small boats as “an invasion”.
But supporters have warned that keeping Ms Braverman off the ballot paper will be the last straw for many ordinary members who are generally more rightwing than the party’s MPs.
Braverman ally Claire Bullivant, editor of the Conservative Post and chief executive of the grassroots Conservative Democratic Organisation (CDO), warned that keeping Ms Braverman off the ballot could destroy the party.
She told The Independent: “There appears to be a Stop Suella campaign among MPs. They must be afraid of her popularity with members and her ability to articulate their conservative values as well as identify what has been going wrong since the removal of Boris Johnson.
"After the disaster of the election MPs have no right to continue to act in this arrogant way.
"If Suella is kept off the ballot then it will only serve to widen the rift between ordinary party members and MPs. MPs need to remember who stuck by them, delivered their leaflets, knocked doors and took abuse for them during a very difficult campaign.”
Ms Bullivant has been tracking Tory membership moving to Reform UK which Nigel Farage announced last week had hit 70,000.
She said: "Unfortunately this unacceptable behaviour by MPs will have consequences. We are already seeing a flight of thousands of members defecting to Reform. If Suella is not even allowed on the ballot that switch to Nigel Farage will only get worse and accelerate.”
Ms Bullivant added: "We all believe in this great party and want to see it restored to power. But at the moment those holding power within it are leading it to destruction."
Perhaps we should get the popcorn while we watch the Tories tear themselves to pieces even more.
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Two well used quotes come to mind -
Windsor Davies in his role as Sergeant Major Williams - Oh dear. How sad. Never mind.
Oscar Wilde - it would take a heart of stone not to laugh.
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Windsor Davies in his role as Sergeant Major Williams - Oh dear. How sad. Never mind.
Oscar Wilde - it would take a heart of stone not to laugh.
<< Home
