British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is losing control of an “increasingly anarchic” Tory party as former ministers openly criticised the direction of policy under his leadership, according to a report in The Guardian. Amid the recriminations over the heavy losses faced by the Conservative party in the recent local council elections, and with pro-Brexit MPs incensed that the government is dropping plans to shred over 4,000 European Union (EU) laws within months, discipline was at risk of completely disintegrating on the right of the party, the report claimed.
On Saturday, former UK home secretary Priti Patel said that the Conservative Party high command under Prime Minister Sunak was responsible for the losses in the election. Addressing the inaugural conference of the pro-Boris Johnson Conservative Democratic Organisation (CDO) in Bournemouth, Patel said the party leadership needed a moment of reflection after the results.
Patel also praised former prime minister Boris Johnson for delivering on people’s priorities.
During the conference, Nadine Dorries, the former culture secretary, said that the party underwent an “astonishing political tumble” since Johnson secured an 80-strong majority in 2019 and was “going backwards”.
“We are drifting and people know that. They can sense it and they can smell it. We no longer have that inspirational leader and those visionary policies. What happened to levelling up? It’s been all but dumped … a U-turn on the promised bonfire of EU regulation, which in itself demonstrates a paucity of ambition,” Dorries said, The Guardian reported.
Though the former culture secretary did not call for Johnson to replace Sunak, she said, “The solution to most problems in politics are usually quite simple – you need the right leader, you need the right vision and you need to make people feel inspired. … I don’t think we’re there at the moment.”
The criticism of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is focusing on last week’s predicted reverse over the retained EU law bill, which will be the subject of further argument and controversy during its report stage in the Lords, with pro-EU Tory peers among those backing a series of amendments to limit the power of ministers to unilaterally scrap any laws.
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