In a disastrous election night for many Conservative MPs amid a Labour landslide and an insurgent Reform Party vote, there was one Tory who took the opportunity to fire what appears to be the starting pistol on yet another leadership election. In an acceptance speech that was called “weird” by some, Suella Braverman delivered an excruciating bid for leader of the opposition.
The former Home Secretary, who has previously called for now MP Nigel Farage to join her party, took the opportunity in front of the cameras to apologise to the country for achieving little in office and not listening to the public. With Labour on course for over 400 seats, she stated the obvious, saying: “The great British people voted for us over 14 years and we did not keep our promises.”
Reacting to her victory speech in her Fareham constituency, Tory MP Sir Charles Walker fumed at Braverman’s opportunism. The outgoing MP said: “Absolutely disgraceful speech. On a really difficult night for the Conservative party that was just the bottom.”
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Channel 4)
Unable to contain his fury, he continued: “The absolute bottom, the dredge, absolutely a disgraceful thing to do. Some backbencher this great statesmanlike role at a count, I mean really the bottom.”
In her victory speech, Braverman said: “Let me address the election in the rest of the country, and there’s only one thing I can say.
“I’m sorry my party didn’t listen to you. The Conservative Party has let you down. The great British people voted for us over 14 years and we did not keep our promises.
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PA)
“We’ve acted like we’re entitled to your vote… We need to learn our lesson because if we don’t, bad as tonight has been for our party, we’ll have many worse nights to come.
“The country deserves better and we’ve got to do better and I will do everything in my power to rebuild trust.
“We need to listen to you. You have spoken to us very clearly.”
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PA)
“She doesn’t sound like she’s going away, does she?” Emily Maitlis said on Channel 4 straight after Braverman’s speech, causing Krishnan Guru-Murthy to crack up. Former Tony Blair adviser Alistair Campbell added: “It sounded like she was reading a bedtime story.”
Meanwhile, former Conservative MP Rory Stewart “deciphered” the speech, saying: “That is a very very odd statement to make at your count, most people thank the police officers, this is an attempt to pitch the party to the right.”
Many of the other contenders for future leader of the Conservative Party have lost their seats so far, including Defence Secretary Grant Shapps and the Leader of the Commons Penny Mordaunt.