Lord Frost has said the mood of the Conservative Party conference is “far too positive” as he warns that the party is in an “extremely bad situation”.

The senior Tory peer said Kemi Badenoch’s party is “on the edge of ceasing to exist” as a political force, with the party polling in third.

Lord Frost explained that activists need to adopt a mood of reflection after losing “10 million voters since the 2019 election”.

Speaking to activists at a fringe event, he said: “The mood at this conference has been far too positive. We’ve got to start by acknowledging the mess we’re in. We’ve lost 10 million voters since the 2019 election. This is an appalling situation for a mainstream party.

“The obvious strategy of trying to recreate a proper, strong Conservative party is now much more difficult, because there already is another one and it’s doing better than we are in the polls. It’s very easy to understand why people might go: ‘Why bother? One already exists’.

“Everything is getting worse, and it has been doing so consistently since November last year. No prescription for the party works unless we accept that the situation for the party is extremely bad. We’re on the edge of ceasing to exist as a mainstream party.”

Attendees at the event told GB News that it is “the worst it’s ever been” at the conference, with another chipping in: “It’s f**king dead”.

The Tories are currently polling 15 points behind Reform UK in the polls, and six points behind Labour despite Sir Keir Starmer being branded the “most unpopular Prime Minister,” after hitting the lowest satisfaction rate of any PM since 1977

Half of Tory members do not want Mrs Badenoch leading them into the next election, with the party split on her tenure.

Despite 61 per cent of members believing she has done a good job and 70 per cent having a favourable opinion of her, just 46 per cent can see Mrs Badenoch leading the Conservatives into the next election.

Some 37 per cent would back Robert Jenrick to lead them into the next election, with 22 per cent hoping for the return of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Notably, some 30 per cent of Mrs Badenoch voters can see Mr Jenrick taking over from her.

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:

• Kemi Badenoch axes God Save the King from end of Conservative Conference to play pop music
• Half of Tory members want Kemi Badenoch removed as party leader ahead of next general election
• Reform’s Tory defection target breaks silence and takes swipe at attacks against Nigel Farage

Mrs Badenoch said she would take “a step back” if she thought someone else had the ability to “turn our country around”.

The Tory leader said she is “making a sacrifice” by not seeing her children “as much as I would like” right now, but noted that “this job is really important”.

“We need to turn our country around, and we’re the only party that can deliver that stronger economy and stronger borders that this conference is about.

“If I thought someone else could do it, then I’d be taking a step back. I think that I’m the right person and I’m the best person,” she told Times Radio.

Mr Jenrick has not ruled himself out from running for leadership after Mrs Badenoch, but he downplayed the possibility on GB News.

The Shadow Justice Secretary said she is doing “a great job” despite the calls around his position.

Mr Jenrick told GB News: “She did a fantastic job on Sunday announcing that we are leaving the ECHR if we are lucky enough to be in Government again in the future, and we are all rooting for her at this conference.”

When questioned if he still has leadership ambitions, Mr Jenrick said: “Well, I had a go last year, didn’t work out, so I am just doing my job as Shadow Justice Secretary and looking forward to speaking to party conference later today.”

Our Standards:
The GB News Editorial Charter