The Conservative Party has suffered a major defeat in the recent elections, and they are currently facing a period of uncertainty and turmoil. Amidst the ongoing bloodshed and recriminations within the party, there are two key points on which they seem to agree: they share the blame for this defeat and they want to keep Reform’s Nigel Farage out of the party. However, there are still many questions that need to be addressed, including the future direction of the party and the timetable for the upcoming leadership contest. The composition of the new Conservative parliamentary party will also play a significant role in determining the party’s future direction. Only time will tell how the party will navigate this challenging period and whether they will be able to regain the trust of the electorate.The Conservative Party has suffered a major defeat in the recent elections, and they are currently facing a period of uncertainty and turmoil. Amidst the ongoing bloodshed and recriminations within the party, there are two key points on which they seem to agree: they share the blame for this defeat and they want to keep Reform’s Nigel Farage out of the party. However, there are still many questions that need to be addressed, including the future direction of the party and the timetable for the upcoming leadership contest. The composition of the new Conservative parliamentary party will also play a significant role in determining the party’s future direction. Only time will tell how the party will navigate this challenging period and whether they will be able to regain the trust of the electorate.
This is the biggest defeat in the history of the Conservative Party, and they will not recover quickly. If we try, the pain will only last longer.
This defeat was not the result of elections called too early, a manifesto that was too thin, the events of D-Day or the ill-considered bets of the Prime Minister’s allies.
The Conservative Party was a party that, starting with Boris Johnson and still present under Rishi Sunak, had lost control of economic, social and foreign policy.
Not only must a new direction be found, but above all a goal must be set.
Is the priority growth or deficit or tax cuts? Is it pro- or anti-business? Is it willing to invest in public service reform, or does it simply hate the public sector? How does it deal with populism without being reformed?
As the Conservative Party braces itself for months – possibly years – of bloodshed and recrimination, it looked today as if it could agree on only two things.
The first is that Rishi Sunak would share a large part of the blame. The other is that it seems better at the moment to keep Reform’s Nigel Farage out of the party. Even these truths may not last as long as Tory truths.
But beyond that we know little.
So prepare for some discussions about the future in the coming days. But what is really happening behind the scenes is a process dispute.
The first thing that needs to be decided early next week is the timetable for what happens next.
Rishi Sunak has offered to continue temporarily, but he would not say how long he would do so.
This means the unpalatable prospect of him having to stand in the chamber in just under two weeks’ time to face Prime Minister’s Questions from the Opposition benches. Will this last long into the autumn? Until or beyond the party congress? Nothing is known.
Then there is the task of determining the composition of the new Conservative parliamentary party.
They will determine which two candidates will go through to the members, if the rules remain unchanged. Is this group of 121 MPs more aligned with Trusonomics or Rishi Sunak’s brand of conservatism – or do they lean the other way? Again, nothing is clear.
There are much bigger questions than just who should be the next leader.
