Former home secretary Suella Braverman has urged Chancellor Rishi Sunak to acknowledge the poor results for the Conservatives in England’s local elections, calling on him to “fix this” by changing course. Braverman, an MP and former Tory leadership candidate, said there was not enough time to change leader before a general election, so it was up to Sunak to turn things around. The Conservative Party lost control of 10 councils and more than 470 council seats as well as 10 Police and Crime Commissioners to Labour. However, there has been no move against Sunak from rebels within his own ranks.
Speaking on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Braverman said there was evidence that people are not voting for what Sunak is doing, saying they don’t feel the benefits. She also said the problem was that Tory voters were “on strike” and telling her “you’re not a Conservative party any more”, and Sunak needed to show “he really cares”. Braverman added that although she regretted backing Sunak for the leadership, it was impossible to change leader with a general election due within about six months, and there was “no superman or superwoman out there”.
Transport Secretary Mark Harper insisted the plan is working and there is still “all to play for” in a general election. Pointing to the Rwanda plan, Harper said: “The plan is about delivering – the plan is working but we haven’t got all the way through to the end of it yet. I think people want to see delivery, so they want to see inflation continue to come down, they want to see the boats stop, they want to see NHS waiting lists continue to fall.” Health Minister Maria Caulfield also said there was no need to change course but should deliver “Conservative values”.
Aside from Sunak’s own position, the poor results for the Tories open up the possibility of further internal wrangling about the future direction of the party. Following his defeat, West Midlands mayor Andy Street suggested the fact he came so close proves the value of ‘moderate’ Conservatism – the opposite of Braverman’s prescription. Sunak will be facing calls from those like Braverman, who say he needs to be more radical, meaning that he finds himself pulled in two directions
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