Prime Minister Rishi Sunak insisted on Thursday that his party is united after ruling out an early general election in May, despite pressure mounting over a potential leadership contest, in a challenge led primarily by supporters of former Home Secretary Suella Braverman.
Within the Conservative Party, calls for a leadership contest are rife, with discontented MPs now openly advocating for an urgent change.
On Thursday, Dame Andrea Jenkyns, a prominent Tory backbencher known for her critical stance towards Mr. Sunak, told the BBC’s “Today” podcast, “I personally want a new leader before the election.”
Speaking to media in response, Mr. Sunak said, “I think actually the party is united in wanting to make sure that we don’t have the Labour government, because our plan is the right one for the country.”
Braverman Revealed as ‘Candidate X’
On Feb. 26 at a confidential meeting in Parliament, a select group of Tory MPs were introduced to “Candidate X,” who was billed as a potential saviour for the party in the upcoming election.This individual was revealed to The Epoch Times to be Ms. Braverman by one insider involved in the meeting’s organisation.
A presentation, which was led by political campaign group Whitestone Insight, described anonymised profiles based on possible leadership contenders to succeed Mr. Sunak.
The presentation featured a Whitestone Insight poll of 13,500 voters, which forecast the Tories would secure just 65 seats under Mr. Sunak’s leadership.
The survey evaluated the electoral prospects of three leaders from various party factions, identified only as X, Y, and Z.
Candidate X—Ms. Braverman—supports Brexit, advocates for reduced immigration, and opposes the rapid pursuit of net zero by 2050.
Candidate Y, also pro-Brexit, favours increased immigration for certain industries and cautions against swift tax reductions.
Candidate Z, who opposes Brexit, rejects tax cuts and supports the net zero goal.
Poll results indicate Candidate X (Ms Braverman) led with 34 percent voter support, followed by candidates Z and Y, with 22 percent and 19 percent, respectively.
Under Ms. Braverman’s potential leadership, the presentation maintained that the Tories would emerge from the general election as the largest party in a hung Parliament.
Following a reported spate of letters expressing no confidence in Mr. Sunak’s leadership after MP Lee Anderson’s defection to Reform UK on Monday, such a consensus will be an unwelcome reminder that the party appears to insiders to be far from united.
Resurgence in Support for Boris Johnson
Alongside pressure on MPs to hand in their letters of no confidence in the hope of getting Ms. Braverman into Number 10, the party is also facing a resurgence in support for former Prime Minister Boris Johnson.A petition originally launched in 2022 by online publication Conservative Post asking the Conservative Party to reinstate Mr. Johnson as a choice on the ballot for Conservative Party leadership, has picked up a renewed flurry of signatories in recent weeks.
Since February alone, 5,000 Tory members have signed the petition, which has been promoted by Peter Cruddas, a peer, prominent donor, and ally of Mr. Johnson.
The petition states that signatories “demand Boris Johnson is added to the ballot as an option for the members to vote upon” in any future Conservative leadership election.
Claire Bullivant, editor of the Conservative Post, told The Epoch Times that over 45,000 members have now signed.
Speaking by text she said: “Every morning I wake up to more signatures … They come in almost every minute it seems! My emails are always flooded!
“But it’s nice to know there are so many Boris supporters out there. I do occasionally send him all the lovely comments people write. The people really want him back!”
