As the Conservative Party navigates the choppy waters of selecting its new leader, the Labour Party is running amok, and it seems no one is stepping up to hold them to account.
Hardly a tick of the clock goes by without someone messaging me, asking where on earth Rishi is hiding or lamenting the woeful state of our Conservative MPs, who seem to be snoozing on the job while Labour runs roughshod over democracy.
Whether it’s Labour’s scandalous slashing of the winter fuel allowance, their dismal handling of the riots, or kowtowing to their union paymasters by doling out taxpayers’ cash, the frustration out there is palpable. Frankly, it’s high time our Conservative MPs stood up to them.
But here’s the rub: we find ourselves in a classic catch-22. The six leadership contenders are caught in a bind, having to curry favour with the One Nation faction of our party just to make it to the final two, where our broader membership can finally have their say.
The six leadership contenders are caught in a bind, having to curry favour with the One Nation faction of our party just to make it to the final two.
This means they’re forced to tiptoe around the more moderate MPs within our ranks, and perhaps that’s why they’re not shouting from the rooftops about the need to protect Brexit, unite the right, and uphold the true conservative values we all hold dear.
I point the finger squarely at certain people in CCHQ’s candidates department. Over recent years, they’ve handed us MPs who, frankly, don’t belong in our party. Yes, we may be a broad church, but some of these so-called Tories are clearly out the door, down the path, along the road, and in the next village.
It’s a travesty that these individuals have such a significant role in picking the final two contenders in our leadership race. This is why I fought so hard to change the rules—because it shouldn’t be just the MPs making that decision. I wanted to see our Association Chairs and Conservative Peers involved in the process too. It would have been a far more balanced and fair approach.
Now, if Conservative MPs end up giving us two candidates that our grassroots members don’t truly want, I foresee another mass exodus from the party.
What we need is a proper conservative, someone like Priti Patel, who embodies the values we stand for. But we shall have to wait and see if the all-powerful One Nation faction grants us that choice.
Let’s hope they do—because the future of our party depends on it.
By Claire Bullivant
Claire Bullivant is the Founder and Editor in Chief of the Conservative Post. Claire also founded the Patriot Club and co-founded the Conservative Democratic Organisation. Contact: Editor@ConservativePost.co.uk
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