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.
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Bridget Phillipson tells students to ‘show some humanity’ if considering joining pro-Palestine protests on anniversary of October 7 attacks
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has urged students to “pause” and “show some humanity”, after a string of protests is expected at universities later today, two years on from the October 7 attacks in southern Israel.
“There is, of course, within our country, the fundamental right to protest. It’s a cornerstone of our democracy.
“But my message is that, as we remember the awful atrocities that took place two years ago on October 7, I would just encourage those considering taking part in protests to pause, to reflect and to understand the deep sense of loss that many people in our country will be experiencing today, not least given the appalling attacks we saw at Manchester last week.
“So my message is that whilst you might have the right to protest, I would urge people to show some humanity, to show some respect and to understand the deep sense of grief and loss that many Jewish people in our country will be experiencing today,” the Education Secretary told Sky News.
Day three getting underway at Tory party conference
Day three of the Conservative Party conference is slowly getting underway in Manchester, with some big Tory names set to speak today.
Chris Philp, Robert Jenrick, and Dame Priti Patel will all speak at the conference today, hoping to fill the auditorium, which had many empty seats yesterday.
In Mr Jenrick’s speech, he will vow to abolish the Sentencing Council and is expected to set out plans to put ministers in charge of sentencing policy, arguing that the current situation has resulted in a “two-tier nightmare” with people treated differently by the courts.
Speaking today at the Tory party conference:
- 10:00am: Chris Philp MP, Shadow Home Secretary
- 10:25am: Stuart Andrew MP, Shadow Health Secretary
- 10:50am: Gender critical debate
- 11:15am: Laura Trott MP, Shadow Education Secretary
- 11:40am: Robert Jenrick MP, Shadow Justice Secretary
- 2:00pm: James Cartlidge MP, Shadow Defence Secretary
- 2:25pm: Dame Priti Patel, Shadow Foreign Secretary
- 2:50pm: Tony Abbott, former Australian PM
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