Following an interview with BBC Television in which Liz Truss claimed that she ‘will lead the Conservatives into the next general election’, the prime minister will attempt to further sure up her parliamentary colleagues today.
Having spoken last night to the ‘One Nation’ group of Conservative MPs on the left of the party, the prime minister will this afternoon speak to MPs from the ERG on the right of the party.
The prime minister’s continuing charm offensive comes as Conservative MPs vote today to elect two MPs to fill the vacancies on the executive of the 1922 committee of backbenchers. The vacancies have occurred as two of its members (Nus Ghani and Aaron Bell) were appointed to the government.
There are reported to be 4 MPs standing in today’s election to the 1922 executive: Eddie Hughes, Iain Stewart, Jo Gideon, and Harriet Baldwin.
Until the 1922 committee of Conservative backbench MPs has a functioning executive committee, the body cannot consider any changes to the rules of Conservative leadership elections. Under the current system, a new leader cannot face a challenge within 12 months of taking office.
Nonetheless, the rules of the 1922 Committee do not provide guaranteed sanctuary for an under fire Conservative leader. Both Ms Truss’ predecessors, Boris Johnson and Theresa May, were forced from office when they theoretically under protection from the party’s leadership rules.
So far just 3 Conservative MPs (Andrew Bridgen, James Wallis, and Crispin Blunt) have openly called for the prime minister to resign. Nonetheless many Conservative MPs are privately discussing the mechanics of replacing Liz Truss and their preferred successor.
Speaking to the BBC Radio 4 ‘Today’ programme this morning, the Conservative MP, Simon Hoare said, “I think there are conversations going on across all wings of the party, and I think that is possibly a first. It is certainly a first in my 7 years of being a member of parliament”.
Continuing he said that the anxiety amongst Conservative MPs came from the lack of an ‘obvious path’ saying, “There isn’t an obvious sort of Michael Howard style figure as we had several years ago”.
“I think the first question that my party has to try work out, as are we setting a path to a general election victory which in any circumstances is going to be incredibly tricky, or are we trying to shape the outcome so to avoid a landslide defeat to provide a credible opposition”.
In a reversal of the Conservative leadership election two months ago, polling data released last night by the firm JL Partners, gave Rishi Sunak a 43% to 28% lead over Liz Truss should the summer’s contest be re-run today.
After a foray of activity at Westminster in the first few days of his leadership defeat, Mr Sunak has been notably absent from public view in the last month.
With a poll yesterday from Redfield and Winton suggesting that the Labour Party has further increased its lead over the Conservatives to an unprecedented 36%, opposition MPs continue to criticize the government.
Following Liz Truss’ latest television interview, the SNP MP, John Nicholson wrote on Twitter, “This is woeful. She can’t speak in coherent sentences”’.
The Labour MP Chris Bryant wrote, “If the only reason Tories aren’t removing Truss is fear of a general election, they are acting in the party not the national interest. Voters can see through and that will wreak a harsh revenge”.
