Former home secretary Priti Patel blames centre of party for Conservative local election losses | Politics News

The former home secretary was talking on the launch of a brand new grassroots motion – the Conservative Democratic Organisation (CDO).

Priti Patel has blamed the “centre of the party” for the Conservatives’ heavy losses in final week’s local elections.

The former home secretary stated the party “would not have seen over 1,000 of our friends and colleagues lose their seats” if centrists had “spent more time with us, listening, engaging”.

Ms Patel stated the party’s management wanted “a moment of reflection” following the outcomes – which if replicated at a common election would see them lose to Labour in phrases of the quantity of MPs.

She additionally heaped reward on former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, in whose cupboard she served, for delivering on the “people’s priorities”.

But she appeared to dismiss Mr Johnson’s possibilities of regaining the party’s management. “I don’t think that’s going to do us the world of good at all,” she stated.

Ms Patel was talking on the launch of a brand new grassroots motion – the Conservative Democratic Organisation (CDO).

Set up by backers of Mr Johnson, the brand new group needs to offer party members extra energy and is important of the best way present Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was appointed chief – describing it as “undemocratic” and a “coronation”.

It comes after the Tories misplaced greater than 1,000 councillors eventually Thursday’s local elections following a chaotic 12 months that has seen them undergo three completely different prime ministers.

Having initially misplaced the party management contest to Liz Truss, Mr Sunak changed her in October after her 45-day tenure resulted in financial and political turmoil.

By distinction, the Labour Party is now on observe to being the biggest party in Westminster on the 2024 common election – however brief of an outright majority.

Ms Patel, additionally a Johnson loyalist, instructed CDO members on Saturday that Mr Sunak wanted to supply extra “hope and optimism” for Conservatism or he risked being accountable for the “managed decline” of the party and defeat at subsequent 12 months’s common election.

Calling for party reform – and presumably Johnson comeback

The CDO first emerged in February and is anticipating round 500 individuals at its launch occasion, the place key posts will probably be given out and the party’s structure debated.

Earlier this 12 months, it campaigned for constituency associations to have the ability to select their very own parliamentary candidate and to have the ability to deselect their MP.

It additionally needs the Conservative Party chairman to be instantly elected by party members.

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As effectively as Ms Patel, former enterprise secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg is claimed to be among the many backers, with former prime minister Mr Johnson “in the background” as “supportive”.

The timing of the launch won’t be misplaced on Tory MPs who’re nonetheless reeling from local election losses.

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They stay divided on key points like tax cuts, defence spending and party development technique.

And self-discipline inside the party dangers additional deteriorating if the CDO cranks up the strain on MPs to reform its structure.

There are additionally considerations that it’s eager to reinstate Boris Johnson as prime minister after CDO vice chairman Lord Greenhalgh tweeted that the momentum behind his comeback is “unstoppable”.

“It is time to restore the democratic rights of Tory members, not least the right to choose parliamentary candidates without being hectored and bullied by party headquarters,” he added.