Conservative leadership: Suella Braverman’s ‘eccentric’ joke raises alarm about ‘blue on blue’ attacks | Politics News

Voters want a party that “doesn’t fight like cats in a sack”, a prominent Conservative has said as he warned against “blue on blue” attacks in the upcoming leadership contest and called for “civility”.

Mayor of Tees Valley Lord Houchen also told Sky News’ Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips a pact with Nigel Farage’s Reform party would be “madness”.

He made the call after former Home Secretary Suella Bravermanbelieved to be preparing a leadership offerto replace Rishi Sunaksaid the Conservatives are in danger of becoming “centrist cranks”.

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She suggested the Conservatives should find an “accommodation” with Reform and welcome Mr Farage into the party after the disastrous election result, that saw Work win a landslide victory.

Mrs Braverman has proved to be a divisive figure within Conservative ranks, angering many with his intervention before voting day, declaring the contest “closed”.

Lord Houchen said the party had “lost its way” in recent years and emphasized the need to reconnect with the public.

He said: “They want good services and they also want someone they can trust, and they also want a party that doesn’t fight like cats in a sack and that’s what drove the election result.

“People just didn’t trust us anymore and ultimately thought we cared more about the Conservative Party and the infighting and positioning within the Conservative Party… than we did about serving our country.”

The Conservative peer added: “I think any leadership candidate needs to rule out a partnership or coalition or any relationship with Reform.

“They are a symptom of the problem – they are not the cause of the problem in the Conservative Party. And I think that’s where the madness lies.”

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He continued: “There should be no blue-on-blue attacks. If we want to spend the next two, three, four or five months fighting each other, it goes to the cause of just two weeks’ electoral defeat. back.

“And I would implore Suella, as well as all leadership candidates, to conduct this leadership contest with civility.

“Let’s come together and offer a positive option to the country.”

Conservative commentator Iain Dale was much more robust in his criticism of Ms Braverman.

He told Phillips: “I wonder when she mentioned the word eccentric, if she was actually looking at herself in the mirror at that moment.”

He added: “I don’t think she’s even going to stand up because she blew up her campaign before it even started.

“That article she wrote in the Telegraph two days before the election, not two days after it, went down like a cup of cold among the Conservative Party members.”

He said the chances were “even” that she would defect to the Reformation, although this was denied by Mrs. Braverman.

The 1922 Conservative Committee will set the rules and timetable for the race to succeed Mr Sunak, with disagreements over how long the contest should last.

In a Conservative Party poll of 995 Conservative Party members earlier this month, Shadow Communities Secretary Kemi Badenoch polled top with 26%.

Tom Tugendhat was on 13% alongside Robert Jenrick, with Ms Braverman on 10% and Home Secretary James Cleverly on 9%.

Dame Priti Patel came sixth with 3%.

Meanwhile, the former chancellor Jeremy Hunt said the party should “take its time” to choose a new leader if necessary.

He told the BBC: “This time next year, the only thing that will matter is not whether we have a new leader in place by October or December, but whether we have the right leader in place, someone who can regain the trust that we have lost. .

“So I think if we need to, we should absolutely take our time.”