Boris blame game triggers backlash over Sunak ‘knifing most successful Tory winner in 50 years’

Boris Johnson’s supporters have rejected claims that partygate has contributed to the Conservatives’ drubbing at the local elections.

Rishi Sunak said ahead of the vote that the Tories would lose seats because of the “box set drama” that engulfed the party during the premierships of Mr Johnson and Liz Truss.

On Friday morning Huw Merriman, a transport minister, said constituents were complaining to him about “older news about former prime ministers”.

‘Sunak started the chaos’

But one Conservative source said: “Sunak can’t blame these results on last year’s chaos.

“He started that chaos by knifing the most successful Tory election winner in 50 years.

“Sunak’s claim that stability has been restored is shot to bits. These results are on track to be catastrophic for the party and worse than before the change of leader.”

David Campbell Bannerman, a former Tory MEP and the chairman of the Conservative Democratic Organisation pressure group, said voters were “very concerned” about what his party stood for.

He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “It is, I’m afraid, the leadership. I think the way that we got rid of Boris, I’ve spoken to quite a few people who regret that on the doorstep. We’re putting up taxes, the highest taxes in 70 years, and there’s a price to be paid for that, and we want to get back to traditional Conservative policies.

“It isn’t about ‘bring back Boris’, by the way, it is about party democracy. But it is true that a lot of our members still like and rate Boris, as do many of the public, and given the scale of the challenge ahead, you know, we shouldn’t rule that out as an option longer-term.”

Sir John Redwood, the former Cabinet minister, said: “Many former Conservative voters stayed at home in protest at high taxes, lack of control of our borders, and too much local and national government interference in their lives.

“If the PM wants to win back lost Conservative voters he should try offering some Conservative policies. Cut taxes, get better value for state spending and go for growth.”

Johnson and Truss ‘certainly’ at fault

On Friday morning Mr Merriman told the BBC that Mr Johnson and Ms Truss were to blame for Tory losses.

“When I was talking to my constituents on the doorsteps yesterday, they were talking about older news about former prime ministers, but saying your current leader seems to have what it takes,” he said.

“He seems to be turning things around for us, but this is the opportunity for the electorate to give their vote on where we have been previously.”

Asked if it was Mr Johnson and Ms Truss’s fault, Mr Merriman said: “Certainly, on the doorsteps the feedback I got was that we are in a better place. The polls show that as well. People are reacting in a more positive way towards Rishi Sunak.”

The Prime Minister made similar comments at an event hosted by the Onward think tank on Wednesday night.

He said “good councillors” will lose their seats because of “all that has happened over the past year”, but struck an optimistic tone looking further ahead.

“I’ve only been Prime Minister for six months but I do believe we’re making good progress,” he said. “Just think about where we were then and where we are now.

“Our economy is in much better shape. Our politics doesn’t feel like a box set drama anymore. And our friends and our allies know that we are back.”