On Monday night Tories gathered on the Terrace Pavilion at parliament for the 1922 Committee’s spring reception, to which every backbencher was invited. The crowd was small, largely made up of Rishi Sunak loyalists eating steak and chips and drinking sparkling wine. The Prime Minister chose not to give opening remarks and instead chatted to the MPs. According to one attendee, the atmosphere was jovial. But no one dared bring up the elephant in the room: Lee Anderson’s defection.

Just hours earlier, the former deputy Tory party chairman held a press conference to announce he was defecting to the Reform party. Even before he started to speak, his former Tory colleagues took pre-emptive steps for his departure by removing him from their various WhatsApp groups. Normally these groups are full of chatter about the smallest developments. This time, they were silent. ‘No one responded for several hours – which is a sign that no one knew what to say – which is rare for us,’ says an MP.

Anderson’s defection was predictable. He had already switched from Labour to the Tories and was top of the ‘Reform watch’ list of Tory MPs at risk of losing their seats and considered likely to defect before they do so. Senior figures in Reform have been wooing Anderson since last year. The first approach was made in Westminster’s Red Lion pub, where it was suggested to Anderson that he would be more comfortable in their gang than with the effete metropolitan tribe the Tories had become under Sunak. No. 10 elevated Anderson to deputy party chairman to show that the Red Wall northerners and the Blue Wall southerners were both key to the new Tory electoral coalition.

But the 2019 coalition, forged by the promise to ‘get Brexit done’, has been buckling ever since the general election.

QOSHE - Will the Red Wall revolt split the right? - Katy Balls
menu_open
Columnists Actual . Favourites . Archive
We use cookies to provide some features and experiences in QOSHE

More information  .  Close
Aa Aa Aa
- A +

Will the Red Wall revolt split the right?

6 1
14.03.2024

On Monday night Tories gathered on the Terrace Pavilion at parliament for the 1922 Committee’s spring reception, to which every backbencher was invited. The crowd was small, largely made up of Rishi Sunak loyalists eating steak and chips and drinking sparkling wine. The Prime Minister chose not to give opening remarks and instead chatted to the MPs. According to one attendee, the atmosphere was jovial. But no one dared bring up the elephant in the........

© The Spectator


Get it on Google Play