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It was just after 8am on Friday morning when Rishi Sunak realized he no longer needed to worry about the leadership challenge.
The results of the first round of local elections were difficult for the Conservatives, with half of the incumbent councilors defeated and Labor winning a landslide victory in the Blackpool South by-election.
But crucially, after weeks of claims that the local elections would trigger enough of a vote of no confidence in MPs to prompt a vote on Mr Sunak’s future, one of the few anti-government protesters It means that he has admitted defeat.
Dame Andrea Jenkins, an ardent supporter of Boris Johnson, said: today program of BBC Radio 4: “I don’t know if my colleagues will put in a letter.” Instead, he argued that the prime minister should shift policy to the right and bring more of Mr Johnson’s allies into the cabinet.
The moment was greeted with relief on 10th Avenue. A Downing Street source said: “She said nothing like the letter would happen and it was Andrea Jenkins who killed it.” The official expressed surprise that a small group of conspirators had garnered so much publicity despite failing to muster a decisive level of support from the bleachers, saying, “These few conspirators Members of Congress have had the most astonishing number of newspaper columns written about them.”
MPs loyal to Mr Sunak want their disgruntled colleagues to unite behind the prime minister, albeit with reservations, or risk forcing Labor to join by default. I hope so, said one senior backbencher. I: “Our activists and voters should stop all this exaggerated media speculation and unite behind our Prime Minister and support conservative policies such as cutting taxes, lowering inflation, paying workers, and securing our borders.” We want to continue to deliver on people’s national and local priorities with the same values as the alternative: higher taxes, fewer workers, and more openness. Socialism with borders and public services run in the interests of producers.”
One minister expressed bewilderment at the idea that it was a good idea to change the leadership, saying: What would they do if they could get rid of Rishi? Who will they get? ”
Another party figure said MPs were “a little bit crazy” but was optimistic about the Conservative Party’s chances of coming together between now and the election. ”
However, while the immediate threat to Mr Sunak appears to have faded, many senior Tory leaders are believed to be looking ahead to life after an expected general election defeat and possible leadership contest. One former cabinet minister suggested that the reason the anti-Sunak rebels disbanded so easily was because most would-be leaders “wanted to put the losses on him” so he could start with a clean slate. did.
One member of parliament complained: [Mordaunt] During the Exercises – She is never not in the Exercises – Kemi [Badenoch] doing it, they’re all into it, even [Tom] Tugendhat. But the reality is, if they move him, it’s going to be the absolute worst meltdown, and that’s for the birds. ”
Defense Secretary Shapps is said to have hosted a ‘Schnapps with Shapps’ event, but House of Commons leader Mr Mordaunt this week denied inviting colleagues to the ‘Pim’s with Penny’ night. He insists all his cabinet members fully support Mr Sunak and are focused on winning the next general election.
But one cabinet minister said: “I don’t see how my colleagues can conscientiously or patriotically get their jobs done while regularly holding drinking parties for MPs.”
Beyond the cabinet, there is a struggle among backbenchers to project themselves as champions of the grassroots, with Dame Priti Patel, Suella Braverman and Robert Jenrick all It is believed that he is considering moving to the leadership if a vacancy occurs.
All MPs appear to have accepted that Mr Sunak will lead them to the election, but internal infighting continues. A minister has said: “I’m stuck in a house with bad people” in connection with the scandal that ousted his successor Mark Menzies after he asked aides to pay thousands of pounds to escape apparent blackmail. ‘is a Conservative MP.’