Dissent among Conservatives over election campaign
A leading Conservative moderniser has criticised the party’s general election campaign.
John Bercow said that the party had focused too heavily on immigration and it had been a mistake to call Tony Blair a liar.
In a newspaper interview with The Independent, John Bercow urged the party to push through changes to allow for more women and ethnic minority candidates.
“Blimpish reactionaries have long rubbished the idea of reaching out by grumbling about ‘political correctness gone mad’.
“Appealing beyond our base of ageing, white, male, rural and southern supporters is necessary and urgent,” he said.
The outspoken backbench MP says the Tories must embrace reforms on the same lines as New Labour.
The former Shadow International Development Secretary’s remarks come after Nicholas Soames and Tim Yeo both stepped down as shadow cabinet ministers and after leader Michael Howard announced his decision to resign his leadership.
Mr Bercow said the party got it wrong in focussing too heavily on immigration and on leadership personalities, especially the decision to call Mr Blair “a liar”.
“We have focused far too much on immigration, even though it is nowhere near top of voters’ priorities. Repeatedly highlighting the issue seemed at best obsessive and at worst repellent,” he said.
Calling Mr Blair a liar was “extraordinarily unwise”, he said, adding, “It made us look nasty and played straight into Charles Kennedy’s hands. It beggars belief that anyone could think that vulgar personal abuse of Tony Blair would make people decide to vote Tory.”
Mr Bercow said the election manifesto was “embarrassingly thin”, with issues such as health and education only briefly skirted over.
Throwing the gauntlet down to the party leadership, he said Tories had to change.
Separately, Sir Malcolm Rifkind,former Foreign Secretary, is tipped to contest the leadership along with present favourite David Davis.
