Conservative MPs were divided this morning over the fallout of the local election results, with one former minister calling for the “return of Boris on the front line of politics”.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was adamant yesterday that sticking to his plan will deliver for his party after the Tories suffered a drubbing in England’s local and mayoral elections, despite warnings of renewed Conservative psychodrama.
A shock poll upset in the West Midlands saw Labour’s Richard Parker seize victory from outgoing Conservative mayor Andy Street by a mere 1,508 votes.
While Labour stormed to victory in the London mayoral race, with Sadiq Khan securing a historic third term in office, with a majority of some 275,000 over Tory rival Susan Hall.
But Tory MPs who took to the airwaves today had a mixed reaction to the broadly disastrous set of verdicts for the Conservatives, with most steering clear of leadership speculation.
Former education minister Dame Andrea Jenkyns, who submitted a letter of no-confidence in Sunak last year, told Sky News she was calling for former leader Boris Johnson to return.
Speaking on Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips, she said: “We’ve got to take the fight to Labour, I would like to see real common sense conservatism, honouring our manifesto commitments.
“I would like to see the return of Boris on the front line of politics, whether that’s going for a seat in the next election and being front and centre of our election campaign.”
Johnson resigned as an MP in June last year, triggering a by-election in his Uxbridge seat which the Conservatives held on to following a campaign closing tied to anti-ULEZ sentiment in outer London.
It came after the publication of a critical report by MPs into the partygate saga which saw him resign as Prime Minister in 2022 – just three years on from his 80-seat majority in the 2019 general election..
Dame Andrea added: “Boris has still got a pull in my area; still on the doorstep, people say to me that they’re saddened that Boris is no longer on the front line of politics.”
But ex-home secretary Suella Braverman, who was sacked from Sunak’s government before accusing him of “betrayal”, argued to the BBC that there was no time to change leader.
She told Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg: “I despair at these terrible results… they suggest that we are heading to a Labour government and that fills me with horror.”
But while she urged Sunak to “change course… and change the plan and the way he is communicating” she said there was no “superman or superwoman” who could take over.
“I just don’t think that is a feasible prospect right now, we don’t have enough time and it is impossible for anyone new to come and change our fortunes to be honest,” she added.
Transport secretary Mark Harper defended the government’s record and insisted the Tories were still in with a chance of winning the next general election, despite their trouncing.
“There is everything to fight for and the Conservative Party under the Prime Minister’s leadership is absolutely up for that fight,” he told Sky News.
“These were disappointing results but the point is what they demonstrate is that Labour is not on course for that majority, Keir Starmer hasn’t sealed the deal with the public.
“So that means there is a fight to be had, the Prime Minister is up for that fight, I am up for that fight, and I know the Conservative Party is up for it.”
And Paul Scully, former minister for London, who wanted to stand in the capital’s mayoral race, argued the Conservatives needed to focus on the “vision for the future”.
He told the BBC: “We’ve got to stick to the plan… but where’s the narrative, what do people think [about] why we’re here to do what we’re doing? There’s no vision for the future.
“Where’s the vision for the next five years, you can’t just win an election for the sake of winning an election. You’ve got to have a purpose.”
Scully added that he didn’t “necessarily agree” that the Tories could still win the next election, but stressed that “absolutely we’ve got to fight for every seat because there is going to be a Conservative party the day after the election and we’ve got to rebuild”.
The West Midlands mayoral contest, which the Tories were on course to win, was seen as a potential lifeline in an otherwise disastrous set of results for the Conservatives.
The Prime Minister had hoped a brace of wins – alongside Lord Ben Houchen’s victory in the Tees Valley mayoralty – could be enough to stave off rebellious Tory backbenchers from mounting a potential leadership challenge.
Commenting on the BBC, Labour’s national campaign coordinator Pat McFadden said: “I think what the [local election] results have given us is a sense of belief.”
He added that Labour had “become used to losing” but there is a “mood of change in the country”.
