Leadership Challenge

I don’t happen to believe that the Conservative Party needs a leadership challenge at the moment.  Indeed, it would be the worst thing that could happen.  Theresa May could unite the party at the Conference by rehearsing her excellent Lancaster House speech and then daring anyone to challenge her.  I think the silence would be deafening.  I also think that Jacob Reece-Mogg is completely sincere in denying any ambition to assume the leadership.

So, what is the point in Heidi Allen, the MP for South Cambridgeshire, expressing such outrage at the prospect of JR-M as Prime Minister? I haven’t bothered to find out too much about Heidi Allen except to note from her photographs that she would qualify for the description of “fragrant” in Private Eye.  Otherwise, she has a degree in astrophysics and, unusually, has had a number of proper jobs before dedicating herself to making a difference.

However, Heidi Allen has stated that she “couldn’t be in the Conservative Party if he (JR-M) was my leader.” She went on to say that she felt strongly “because he’s not the modern face of the Tory party that we are desperate – or I am certainly – and colleagues are desperate to prove is out there.”

Well sorry Heidi I don’t agree.  Its people like you with your modernisation ideas that nearly lost the Conservative Party the election.  If the party had stuck to a conservative script instead of trying to jump on any passing liberally-labelled band-waggon, we might not be where we are.  I think there are lots of people like me who are only clinging to membership because the alternative is too awful to contemplate.  But it would not take much to push us over the edge.

My advice to you Heidi is to forget about “modernisation,” what we want is a Conservative Party with conservative policies.  I couldn’t be in the Conservative Party if you “modernisers” were in charge and I bet you that I am by no means alone!