Kemi Badenoch told the Tory conference last week that “we went after Labour votes and lost our own”. Well, you need both, Kemi, to win elections but that won’t be worrying the Tory Party for the next few years.
The choice is now between two right wingers. The MPs either by being too clever with tactical voting, being afraid of their hardline grassroot members, or because they think they lost the General Election because they weren’t right wing enough, have rejected the eternal political truth that parties win on the centre ground.
Perhaps the MPs were spooked by the latest poll rating for Reform on 19%, but they won’t win by trying to be like them. That won’t be attractive to the millions of Lib Dems in the south of England who deserted them.
Neither Jenrick nor Badenoch will find it easy to tack to the centre after the things they have said in the campaign. Let’s take Robert Jenrick first. He is blatantly trying to rerun the EU Referendum campaign, except its now the European Court of Human Rights in his sights rather than Brussels. He asked last week’s conference “Are you for Leave or Remain”? The choice of words is clear. Not content with backing the biggest mistake this country has ever made in 2016; he suggests there is still more political capital to be made by attacking another European institution just to win a cheap vote.
Jenrick wants a New Conservative Party with five aims. Deporting all illegal immigrants. Don’t expect police to have much time for anything else. A figure for total legal migration to be set by Parliament. So, what happens when it is exceeded? Expel a few care workers? An end to net zero targets. You can contemplate the consequences of that in your flooded home. Make public services work. I agree with that, but you won’t do it by cutting budgets. Finally, stand up for our culture and cut “bloated” foreign aid.
Of the two Kemi Badenoch is probably the less bad. In her conference speech last week, she harked back exactly 50 years. The Tories were heading for their third defeat under Ted Heath. Sir Keith Joseph, a radical right wing monetarist was expected to take over. Instead, he backed Margaret Thatcher, but his policies were still implemented. It devastated traditional industries and maimed the trade union movement. Many of the measures were needed but it was done in a brutal way. Kemi referenced Sir Keith, so strap yourself in if she becomes Tory leader and then wins an election.
She certainly speaks her mind. Her remarks on maternity pay nearly cost her a place in the runoff but she was brave in telling the conference last week that child abuse in Rochdale and Rotherham wasn’t dealt with because of a fear of accusations of racism against the police.
I don’t know if James Cleverly will leave the stage. His experience in high office, his demand for no deal with Reform and most of all his call for the Conservatives to be normal did not persuade enough MPs to put him in the final ballot. More fool them.
