The Conservative Party is facing a mass exodus of Tory MPs dropping out of the next election as polls predict a landslide defeat at the hands of the Labour Party.
General Election Tory Exodus
Over 60 Tory MPs have officially said they will not be running again ahead of the general election set to be announced for this year. The mass Tory walk-out is the largest since 1997, 27 years ago when Labour politician Tony Blair won in a landslide victory against Tory Prime Minister John Major.
The idea of history repeating itself is a worrying possibility for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his government who are fighting for a shock victory as their dissatisfaction levels grow.
A recent Ipsos poll showed that the Conservatives sit a staggering 27 percentage points behind Labour in voter confidence, signalling a Blair-like landslide defeat.
Major Events Contribute to Downfall
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s popularity took a huge fall last year, with Conservative dissatisfaction facing the highest rate since 1978 after events like Brexit and COVID. According to the poll, Sunak’s popularity among Brits has fallen, with dissatisfaction rates for the Tory party reaching 83%, one of the highest it’s ever been.
The latest MP to step down from their position is former Prime Minister Theresa May, who served as an MP for 27 years until this potential Tory downfall.
May’s decision comes as a shock to many, especially since her constituency, Maidenhead, looks like it could be one of the few Tory strongholds that resist Labour’s push for power. May announced her decision to step down but remained confident that the Tories could win the next general election, despite what polls are suggesting.
May said that her loyalties remain with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, “I remain committed to supporting Rishi Sunak and the government and believe that the Conservatives can win the election,” she asserted.
May served as Prime Minister from 2016 to 2019 and became one of the UK’s longest-serving Home Secretaries from 2010 to 2016 when she assumed the role.
Other Conservatives set to step down include Sajid Jaavid, Dominic Raab and former Health Secretary during COVID, Matt Hancock, with many more expected to join.
Tory Targets
Some MPs have attributed their departures towards the fervent abuse that’s been thrown at members of parliament in the last year, with some private properties being targeted.
Recently, Tory MP Tobias Ellwood’s home was targeted by a crowd of 60-80 protestors campaigning against the conflict in Gaza, while police provided little intervention.
One of Ellwood’s colleagues, Housing Minister Lee Rowley, called out the police’s response to the protest, accusing them of allowing protestors to “bully” Ellwood, calling for the protests to “absolutely stop.”
Most recently, just 24 hours before the pre-election budget was to be announced by Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, his office was a target to death threats in the form of graffiti.
Protestors spray painted the shocking words “Die Tory Scum” outside Hunt’s office at approximately 9 am, although Hunt admitted he was not deterred by the threat.
Sunak Calls End to Protests
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called for an end to the protests, many of which were linked to pro-Palestine members of the public campaigning against the UK’s response to Israel’s conflict in Gaza.
Sunak called the protestors “extremists” and asserted that the UK has entered “Mob Rule” that occurs when protestors overrun the streets and outpower police.
When combining the threats against MPs with an almost certain defeat ahead of the general election, it’s no surprise that Tory MPs are jumping before they are pushed.
The post Up to 60 Conservative MPs Plan to Drop Out Before the Election first appeared on Pulse365 Limited.
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