Ex-Tory Cabinet Minister Suella Braverman has declared “it’s over” for the Tories – with less than 24 hours to go before the country heads to the polls.
The former Home Secretary said: “One needs to read the writing on the wall: it’s over and we need to prepare for the reality and frustration of Opposition.” Ms Braverman said Thursday’s General Election is “now all about forming a strong enough opposition” as polls forecast a historic wipeout for the Conservatives.
The top Tory – who has been highly critical of Rishi Sunak’s leadership since being sacked from the Cabinet – said her party will fail because it is “haemorrhaging votes” to Nigel Farage’s right-wing Reform UK party.
She added in an article for The Telegraph: “Why? Because we failed to cut immigration or tax, or deal with the net zero and woke policies we have presided over for 14 years. If our best defence is whining that the Left took over the institutions, who negligently let them? There’s a reason why insincere posturing isn’t fooling anyone now, and it’s our record in office.”
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Ms Braverman also said the Tories need “a searingly honest post-match analysis”, “because the fight for the soul of the Conservative Party will determine whether we allow Starmer a clear run at destroying our country for good or having a chance to redeem it in due course. Indeed, it will decide whether our party continues to exist at all.”
Her remarks came as one of Mr Sunak’s most loyal Cabinet allies effectively conceded defeat for the Conservatives tomorrow saying Labour is likely to win a “the largest majority the party has ever achieved”. On Wednesday pollsters Survation forecast Keir Starmer will win a bigger landslide at the General Election than the ex-Labour PM Tony Blair did in 1997.
Asked whether he agrees with Boris Johnson, that it is not “too late”, or Suella Braverman, that it is effectively “over,” the Work and Pensions Secretary told ITV’s Good Morning Britain : “What I’m saying is very clear, which is that all the polls are pointing to one very clear conclusion tomorrow: a Labour government with a huge, huge majority.
“But what I’m also saying – and this is where I agree with Boris – is that it is not too late to make sure that we have an opposition in there, Conservative MPs who are able to hold that government to account.”
In one of the Tories’ final desperate acts, Mr Sunak wheeled out disgraced ex-PM Boris Johnson at a campaign rally on Tuesday evening in London. The former Conservative leader told supporters: “When Rishi asked me to come and help, of course I couldn’t say no… We’re all here because we love our country.”
But posting on X – just moments after Mr Sunak hailed a “united” Conservative family – serving Tory Minister Huw Merriman hit out at Mr Johnson’s surprise appearance. He said: “Given my refusal to support this man and to then welcome a change from his leadership when the wheels of public and Parliamentary tolerance finally fell off, I’m not sure how this pitches for my vote.”