Sir Robert Buckland launches astonishing assault on ‘silly’ Tories

Sir Robert Buckland today launched an extraordinary attack on his Conservative colleagues, saying they will now be ‘like a group of bald men arguing over a comb’.

The former Conservative justice secretary hit out after losing his seat in Swindon South to Labour candidate Heidi Alexander, who took 21,676 votes to his 12,070.

Sir Robert told how he was ‘fed up of personal agendas and jockeying for position’ within the Tories – and described the election night as ‘electoral Armageddon’.

The former barrister, who was the first senior Tory to lose their seat overnight, also slammed other Conservatives for saying ‘stupid’ and ‘inflammatory’ things.

It comes as competing Tory factions began a battle over the diminished party’s future and Rishi Sunak shouldered the burden for a ‘sobering verdict’ at the election.

Former prime minister Liz Truss and a record number of serving Cabinet members lost their seats in the bloodbath, as Labour swept to power under Sir Keir Starmer. 

Speaking to the BBC after his loss, Sir Robert said: ‘I’m fed up of personal agendas, and jockeying for position. 

‘The truth is now with the Conservatives facing this electoral armageddon, it’s going to be like a group of bald men arguing over a comb.

‘I came into politics to actually do Government and to responsibly exercise power in order to make change in this country. I did that in office for many years and I’m proud of my legacy.’

He added: ‘I’m fed up of performance art politics. I’ve watched colleagues in the Conservative Party strike poses, write inflammatory op-eds and say stupid things they have no evidence for, instead of concentrating on doing the job they were elected to do. I’ve had enough of it.’

Sir Robert’s mention of ‘op-eds’ was likely referring to former home secretary Suella Braverman’s criticism of Mr Sunak’s election strategy in an article for the Daily Telegraph on Tuesday – two days before voters went to the polls.

And he continued: ‘I want the Conservative Party to get back to the ethos of doing stuff well and being competent, not pretending to please the media.

‘If we can get back to that then I think we have more than a fighting chance at the next election but we need to do it quickly and we need to wake up now.’

He added that the election had revealed ‘astonishing ill discipline within the party’ and condemned articles before polls had opened ‘about the party heading to defeat and what the prognosis should be’.

Sir Robert also said: ‘It is spectacularly unprofessional and ill disciplined and that’s not the Conservative Party I joined or have been an active member of for nearly 40 years.

‘I expect more from colleagues. I also expect colleagues in senior office to actually get a grip of their brief and portfolio and actually understand that politics is about hard choices.

‘It’s about doing the detail. Now the Prime Minister understands that and is an admirable example of how to do the detail.’

He also said that the party to move further to the right would be a ‘disastrous mistake’ that ‘would send us into the abyss’.

Hours after Sir Robert spoke, Mr Sunak apologised to the country and his party after he led the Conservatives to their worst-ever election result.

The outgoing Prime Minister added he will step down as Tory leader, but only once formal arrangements are in place to select his successor.

Speaking under grey skies and with his wife Akshata Murty watching on, Mr Sunak delivered his final Downing Street address before his premiership officially ends.

Mr Sunak said: ‘To the country, I would like to say first and foremost, I am sorry.

‘I have given this job my all, but you have sent a clear signal that the Government of the United Kingdom must change. And yours is the only judgment that matters.

‘I have heard your anger, your disappointment, and I take responsibility for this loss.’

Mr Sunak also apologised to Conservative candidates and campaigners, before saying: ‘Following this result I will step down as party leader – not immediately, but once the formal arrangements for selecting my successor are in place.

‘It is important that after 14 years in government the Conservative Party rebuilds, but also that it takes up its crucial role in opposition professionally and effectively.’

Mr Sunak gave his thanks to his colleagues and staff before adding: ‘But, most of all, I’d like to express my gratitude to my wife Akshata and our beautiful daughters.

‘I can never thank them enough for the sacrifices they have made so that I might serve our country.’

Mr Sunak praised Sir Keir as a ‘decent, public-spirited man who I respect’ as he conceded defeat outside Number 10.

The Tory MP said ‘whatever our disagreements,’ he wished Sir Keir and his family well as they make ‘the huge transition to their new lives behind this door’.

Mr Sunak, who was re-elected in Richmond and Northallerton, said: ‘In this job, his successes will be all our successes, and I wish him and his family well.’

He said he believes the UK is ‘more prosperous, fairer and resilient than it was in 2010’ when the Conservatives came to power.

He concluded his farewell speech by acknowledging the ‘difficult days’ of the election campaign and pointing to the British values of ‘kindness, decency and tolerance’.

Mr Sunak said: ‘One of the most remarkable things about Britain is just how unremarkable it is that two generations after my grandparents came here with little, I could become Prime Minister. And that I could watch my two young daughters light Diwali candles on the steps in Downing Street.

‘We must hold true to that idea of who we are. That vision of kindness, decency and tolerance that has always been the British way.

‘This is a difficult day at the end of a number of difficult days. But I leave this job honoured to have been your Prime Minister.

‘This is the best country in the world. And it is thanks entirely to you, the British people, the true source of all our achievements, our strengths and our greatness. Thank you.’

Mr Sunak’s apology was earlier echoed by Suella Braverman, but the Tory leadership challenger was sorry for her party’s record in Government, suggesting it had not listened enough to the electorate.

Ms Truss lost her South West Norfolk seat, where she had been defending a notional majority of more than 24,000, to Labour.

The former prime minister, who during her short time in Downing Street oversaw the disastrous mini-budget that spooked markets, said the Tories had not ‘delivered sufficiently’ on voters’ priorities including curbing immigration.

Ms Truss declined to give a concession speech but told the BBC: ‘I think the issue we faced as Conservatives is we haven’t delivered sufficiently on the policies people want.

‘And that means keeping taxes low, but also particularly on reducing immigration.’

Asked whether she accepted some responsibility for that, Ms Truss said: ‘I agree. I was part of that. That’s absolutely true.

‘But during our 14 years in power, unfortunately we did not do enough to take on the legacy we’d been left, in particular things like the Human Rights Act that made it very difficult for us to deport illegal immigrants.’

Among the dozen Cabinet ministers to lose their seats overnight were Commons Leader Penny Mordaunt, Defence Secretary Grant Shapps, Welsh Secretary David TC Davies, Transport Secretary Mark Harper, Attorney General Victoria Prentis and veterans minister Johnny Mercer, all to Labour.

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan, Justice Secretary Alex Chalk, Science Secretary Michelle Donelan, Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer and illegal immigration Minister Michael Tomlinson lost to the Liberal Democrats.

Chief whip Simon Hart lost to Plaid Cymru.

But party chairman Richard Holden won by just 20 votes in Basildon and Billericay and Jeremy Hunt clung on to the Godalming and Ash seat in Surrey despite a threat from the Liberal Democrats.

The outgoing Chancellor said the Conservatives’ ‘crushing’ defeat was a ‘bitter pill to swallow’ for the party.

Mel Stride, who served as Work and Pensions Secretary and held on to his Central Devon seat by just 61 votes, said it would take ‘quite a lot of time’ for the Tory Party to ‘rebuild’.

Outgoing Home Secretary James Cleverly, who held his seat in Braintree, Essex, warned that ‘there is nothing honourable in presenting simple and thin solutions to challenging and complex problems’.

Mr Shapps, who lost his Welwyn Hatfield seat to Labour, said his party had an ‘inability to iron out (its) differences’ amid an endless ‘soap opera’.

Seats previously held by Tory big beasts, including Boris Johnson’s Uxbridge and South Ruislip and Theresa May’s Maidenhead, were taken by Labour and the Liberal Democrats respectively.

Tory Northern Ireland minister Steve Baker, who had signalled his intention to launch a Tory leadership bid after the election, said ‘thank God I’m a free man’ after he was defeated by Labour in Wycombe.

Tory deputy chairman Jonathan Gullis, former cabinet minister Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg and business and trade minister Greg Hands were beaten by Labour.

Former prime minister Liz Truss led a parade of Tory big hitters who sensationally lost her seat in the Tory election bloodbath.

Liz Truss becomes latest Tory casualty in big beast bloodbath: Ex-PM joins Jacob Rees Mogg, Penny Mordaunt, Grant Shapps, Gillian Keegan, Lucy Frazer and Johnny Mercer to be ousted in election 

By David Wilcock, Arthur Parashar and Elizabeth Haigh 

Former prime minister Liz Truss led a parade of Tory big hitters who sensationally lost her seat in the Tory election bloodbath.

Ms Truss, who was premier for just 49 days in 2022, lost her Norfolk South West seat to Labour by just 630 votes after the largest swing from the Tories to Labour ever.

Terry Jermy overturned a 26,195 majority won by Ms Truss in 2019 after Reform and an independent campaign by the ‘Turnip Taliban ‘ – a group of local disgruntled ex-Tories – whittled down her support.

On a humiliating night for Rishi Sunak ‘s party, some of the Conservatives ‘ biggest names – including a record number of frontbenchers – lost their seats as Labour stormed to an historic landslide win.

Liz Truss 

Ms Truss, who led the country from September 6 to October 25 2022 following Boris Johnson‘s resignation, was the latest Tory heavyweight to suffer at the hands of the electorate on a disastrous night – and morning – for the party.

She Truss beat Rishi Sunak to the Tory leadership in 2022. But her popularity nosedived after her devastating mini-budget with Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng which led to the plunge of the pound and had widespread economic impacts.

Thousands of people saw steep mortgage rises following the budget, which contained millions of pounds worth of unfunded tax cuts.

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She later quit as leader and returned to the backbenches, reinventing herself as a rightwing firebrand with links to Trumpist US Republicans. 

Speaking to the BBC after her defeat she said: ‘I think the issue we faced as Conservatives is we haven’t delivered sufficiently on the policies people want.

‘And that means keeping taxes low, but also particularly on reducing immigration. And I think that’s been a crucial issue here in South West Norfolk, that was the number one issue that people raised on the doorstep with me.’

Asked whether she accepted some responsibility for that, Ms Truss said: ‘I agree. I was part of that. That’s absolutely true.

‘But during our 14 years in power, unfortunately we did not do enough to take on the legacy we’d been left, in particular things like the Human Rights Act that made it very difficult for us to deport illegal immigrants. And that is one of the reasons I think we’ve ended up in the situation we are now.’

She declined to say if she would remain involved in politics. 

The candidates for South West Norfolk were left waiting on stage for several minutes for the announcement of the result as they waited for Ms Truss to appear.

Some of those watching began a slow hand clap before she finally joined them, without wearing a Conservative rosette. 

Jacob Rees-Mogg     

Mr Rees-Mogg lost his Somerset North East & Hanham seat to Labour’s Dan Norris by more than 5,000 votes.

In a typically polite speech afterwards he congratulated Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer on ‘what seems to be a historic victory’.

The former business secretary’s defeat was a reversal of 2010, when he bet Mr Norris in the predecessor constituency.

Speaking at the University of Bath after the result was declared, Sir Jacob said: ‘May I begin by giving my warmest congratulations to Dan Norris, who has been a servant of North East Somerset or Wansdyke as it then was before and I am sure will be a devoted constituency MP in the future.

‘And congratulate Sir Keir Starmer who has led his party to what seems to be a historic victory. And this is the great virtue of our democracy, so I congratulate both of them.’

Sir Jacob then thanked his agent, campaign director and constituency staff who had ‘worked so hard over the last 14 years’.

He said: ‘And one final thought, from Caractacus Potts, and that is from the ashes of disaster grow the roses of success. So thank you very much everybody, and good night.’

Grant Shapps 

Glum-looking Defence Secretary Grant Shapps suffered a ‘Portillo Moment’ as he was defeated by Labour in Welwyn Hatfield by around 3,000 votes.

A ‘Portillo’ moment is a reference to Conservative cabinet minister Michael Portillo who lost what had been regarded as a safe Tory seat in Labour’s 1997 landslide. 

In his parting shot, Mr Shapps said the Conservatives had ‘lost’ the election rather than Labour winning it – and ‘tried the patience’ of the public by being divided. 

Mr Shapps has held a series of Cabinet positions under four Tory prime ministers – including energy security and net zero secretary, business secretary and home secretary.

In 2012 it was revealed he was using an alter-ego as businessman Michael Green.

He was pictured using a nom de plume while he was a prospective parliamentary candidate for the Conservatives. He was standing for the Welwyn Hatfield seat in Hertfordshire when he posed for the photo at a £2,000-a-head web marketing event at the New York-New York Hotel and Casino in 2004.

Mr Shapps continued to use the name Michael Green for his business interests throughout the 2005 election campaign and his early years as an opposition MP. ‘Mr Green’ charged clients £183 an hour for advice on how to make money from the web as well as offering tips on how to beat the recession blues, including splashing out on a jet-ski or learning to play the guitar.

Penny Mordaunt 

Penny Mordaunt lost her Commons seat today in one of the biggest upsets of a General Election that is turning into a top Tory bloodbath.

The Commons leader, who leapt into the public consciousness with her sword-wielding role at the Coronation of Charles III last year, was beaten into second place by Labour‘s Amanda Martin.

Ms Mordaunt, 51, had been tipped as a potential future Tory leader as the party tries to regroup from a long-expected electoral pummelling. 

The former defence secretary was runner up to Rishi Sunak in 2022 and had also stood in the previous leadership race won by Liz Truss.

During the election campaign she was the face of the Tories at a number of seven-way debates between senior figures from the main parties, going to-to-toe with Labour’s Angela Rayner. 

But shortly after 4am the Royal Navy reservist lost to Labour in the Royal Navy’s home city, marking at least the start of a lengthy hiatus in her political career, if not ending it.

She admitted the Conservative Parry has taken a ‘battering’ because it failed to honour ‘the trust that people had placed in it’ after she lost her seat to Labour.

Labour’s Amanda Martin ousted the Leader of the House of Commons from Portsmouth North, winning by just 780 votes.

Ms Mordaunt, 51, would have been hotly tipped to run for the party leadership again had she managed to keep her seat.

She said: ‘Tonight, the Conservative Party has taken a battering because it failed to honour the trust that people had placed in it. You can speak all you like of security and freedom, but you can’t have either if you are afraid.

‘Afraid about the cost-of-living or accessing healthcare, or whether the responsibility you shoulder will be recognised and rewarded. That fear steals the future, and it only makes the present matter and that is why we lost.

‘Our renewal as a party and a country will not be achieved by us talking to an ever smaller slice of ourselves but being guided by the people of our country. And if we want again to be the natural party of government, then our values must be the people’s.

‘I’ve lost many good colleagues tonight but I hope that like me they intend to carry on serving their communities with even stronger heart, our country needs all of us.’

Ms Mordaunt, who had held the seat from 2010, also said she will ‘never stop caring’ for the people of Portsmouth.

Gillian Keegan 

The Education Secretary since 2022 and MP for Chichester from 2017, Gillian Keegan lost her seat to Liberal Democrat candidate Jess Brown-Fuller.

Ms Keegan had pushed for banning smartphones in schools. She also oversaw draft statutory sex education guidance that ‘gender ideology’ should not be taught in schools.

But she also made headlines for urged striking teachers to be ‘realistic’ with their pay demands – while wearing her £10,000 Rolex watch. 

Last year she wore her expensive watch – a gift from her husband – as she toured television and radio studios.

The Merseyside-born Tory, who grew up in a working class family and left school at 16, accused critics of her jewellery of ‘inverted snobbery’.

In an early claim of victory before 2am on Friday, the Liberal Democrats said her seat of ‘Chichester is going Lib Dem-orange, as Gillian Keegan becomes the first Cabinet minister of the night to lose her seat’.

And just two hours later her loss was confirmed, with a result that saw her trailing the Lib Dems by more than 10,000 votes.

When appointed Education Secretary by Rishi Sunak in 2022, she was the fifth person to hold the role in under four months and the sixth since the 2019 general election.

Less than a year into the role she was fighting a major crisis after ordering more than 100 schools to make closures because of concerns that a crumbling aerated concrete could collapse.

The strain of that erupted in public when she unwittingly vented her frustrations, swearing about a lack of gratitude towards her while others have ‘sat on their arse and done nothing’ while the cameras were still rolling after a broadcast interview.

Steve Baker 

Tory minister Steve Baker said ‘thank God I’m a free man’ after he was ousted from his Wycombe seat.

The self-styled ‘Brexit hardman’, who had signalled his intention to launch a Tory leadership bid after the election, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: ‘I fought this to win it and I wanted to do my duty and continue. But I am today, thank God, a free man.

‘Try being elected to Parliament and you’ll understand. I am able now to resume my life and that is going to be a great blessing to me.

‘So I’m afraid I will be honest with the public. Thank God I’m a free man.’

And the others… 

The Liberal Democrats took out Justice Secretary Alex Chalk in Cheltenham.

Former Justice Secretary Sir Robert Buckland, Veterans Minister Johnny Mercer, Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer, Chief Whip Simon Hart were all culled – as were Tory deputy chairman Jonathan Gullis, former deputy PM Therese Coffey and Michael Fabricant.

Welsh secretary David Davies, Science Minister Michelle Donelan and Attorney General Victoria Prentis were also all kicked from their seats. 

Transport Secretary Mark Harper lost his Forest of Dean seat to Labour’s Matt Bishop by just 278 votes.

Senior Tory Liam Fox, who had been the MP for North Somerset since 1992, also narrowly lost his seat to Labour candidate Sadik Al-Hassan by 639 votes.

Other casualties included Peter Bottomley, who had been the longest-serving lawmaker in parliament. The ‘Father of the House’ – the honorary title bestowed upon the member who had been in parliament the longest – was first elected in 1975 but lost his Worthing West seat. 

In a rare positive for the Tories, Mr Sunak, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt and Home Secretary James Cleverley held onto their seats in Richmond and North Allerton, Godalming and Ash and Braintree respectively.

Despite suffering a brutal defeat, Mr Rees-Mogg congratulated Sir Keir Starmer on ‘what seems to be a historic victory’.

Speaking at the University of Bath after the result was declared, Sir Jacob said: ‘May I begin by giving my warmest congratulations to Dan Norris, who has been a servant of North East Somerset or Wansdyke as it then was before and I am sure will be a devoted constituency MP in the future.

‘And congratulate Sir Keir Starmer who has led his party to what seems to be a historic victory. And this is the great virtue of our democracy, so I congratulate both of them.’

Sir Jacob then thanked his agent, campaign director and constituency staff who had ‘worked so hard over the last 14 years’.