Six individuals vying for the leadership of the UK’s Conservative party have been cautioned against criticising their opponents in the media, lest they risk being issued a warning, symbolically termed a “yellow card”. The caution comes from Bob Blackman, who chairs the 1922 committee comprised of backbench Tory MPs. He informed the contenders on Monday that any formal warning they’d receive would precede a public statement castigating their conduct.
Blackman criticised the persistent public disparagement and media attacks on colleagues, attributing such behaviour to the party’s dismal performance in the last election. He further opined that any additional rule violations by contenders would severely compromise their leadership pursuits.
The introduction of this measure seeks to avert a media-offensive war among the contenders and avoid the possibility of the party image being further tarnished by public squabbles after a debilitating election loss to Labour on July 4th.
Kemi Badenoch, the former business secretary and the one tipped for success by oddsmakers, formally initiated her campaign on Sunday, rounding out the list of six hopefuls. She shares the platform with ex-home secretary Priti Patel, former foreign secretary James Cleverly, and ex-security minister Tom Tugendhat. The group also includes the ex-work and pensions secretary Mel Stride and former immigration minister Robert Jenrick.
Badenoch, renowned for her vigorous approach, alleged her rivals of unscrupulous tactics after journalists received a dossier containing statements she’d made on a digital blog. She dismissed the dossier as trivial and childish using social media platform X, responding to comments quoted from her blog where she stated that world-changing figures like Albert Einstein and Isaac Newton were known to be impolite.
Despite this new system, some within the Tory party expressed doubts about the effectiveness and policing of the “yellow card” system, considering that briefings were usually anonymous. Questions were also raised about the boundaries of acceptable criticism, particularly with regards to previously held roles.
The six contenders will eventually be trimmed down to four in September by the MPs. The remaining candidates will then showcase their leadership qualities in a metaphorical ‘beauty contest’ at the party’s conference, seeking approval and support from the party’s membership.
In the month of October, the selection of the final two candidates for the Conservative party will be made by the Conservative Members of Parliament. The ultimate victor, to be decided by the generally more right-leaning party members on the 2nd of November, is expected to bring a fresh direction to the Tory party.
Ex-Tory MP, David Gauke, has already shown signs of the impending shift in the party’s direction, having recently reinstated his membership to participate in the selection process. Gauke shared his insights in an article published on the Tory grassroots website, ConservativeHome, stating that the party appears less populist now, in the aftermath of the recent election.
Further indicating potential changes within the Tories, highly regarded member Michael Heseltine has had the party whip, which was withdrawn in May 2019 following his support for Liberal Democrats during the European election of that year, reinstated earlier this month. According to Heseltine, it was ridiculous to ever consider him not part of the Conservative party. He revealed that he was offered the whip by Baroness Williams, the Tory chief whip in the House of Lords, coinciding with the elections this month. – Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2024.