A week is a long time in politics, but sometimes, a day can change the very course of a nation. On Thursday 7th July PM Johnson concluded that given the avalanche of resignations, he had no option but to resign. Priti Patel holds an important position, for her to resign would have placed the nation at risk from foreign and domestic enemies. I am sure in those moments of anarchy at Number 10, she must have advised the Prime Minister of the only option open to him. And one thing we do know, the Prime Minister listens to Priti Patel. She not only has her finger on the pulse of the nation, but also commands support from core Tory MPs, and even more from the wider membership.
We have to acknowledge that the Prime Minister with all his failings, delivered on the fundamental mandate of getting Brexit done. The voters gave him a huge mandate, and he got that done, and then faced off two massive global challenges in COVID and Ukraine. In the end, it was his flaws that let him down. He took his eye off the ball in his own back yard, and those who should have known better, compromised his position even further. In the end, it is right that he leaves and makes way for a fresh face, a new vision, a better focus and fundamentally, getting back to the core Tory values.
We will see many put their names in the hat to become the next leader of the Conservative party, and of course to become the next Prime Minister of Great Britain. What most people will fail to grasp is that whilst the membership of the Tory party might prefer a particular candidate, it is the Parliamentary party of Tory MPs that will decide which two names are finally presented to the membership. In effect, the MPs can stop a popular candidate from getting into the last two.
The early stage feverish whatsapp chatter in many groups has become hyper and self-serving. Gossip feeding more gossip. Everyone claiming they have the inside line from this, or that candidate. We will see the full spectrum of manipulation via social media, and don’t forget, the media itself will misinform and misdirect the public by their shenanigans.
Given Rishi Sunak has thrown his hat into mix, the Indian diaspora has also gone into overdrive. The rampant racism has now come out with racist tweets emerging from vested parties. One person even asked whether the Tories were ready to select a ‘brown man’. The left has gone into meltdown. Remember, the Labour Party has never had a female leader or Prime Minister. It has never had a person of colour as their Chancellor. And today we see the left orchestrating a hit job on the Tories by exhibiting their racism on Rishi, Suella Braverman, Sajid Javid, Nadhim Zahawi and Kemi Badenoch. The Tory leadership election is the kind of diversity that the Labour Party could only dream of, and the Tories did it all without any appeasement.
From my perspective, the nation needs a good leader with a clear focus. Someone who commands knowledge, skill and understanding of the big government departments, and someone who can face the challenges brought about by global events. I don’t care about their colour, race or how much money they have. The only thing that matters is fitness to do the job, for the nation and its people.
The one thing this nation does not need is a Labour government. It remains unfit to govern housing so many MPs who are openly supportive of extremists. The nation cannot be placed in jeopardy, and it is now for the Conservative party to ensure it behaves properly and is led by a one-nation Tory who also speaks to the red wall. Could it be that the Prime Minster we need has hitherto not declared their candidacy? I hope she does, but I will also understand if she declines it on this occasion.
