'Night of the living dead' Upbeat Tories are in denial about wipeout

Three months on from almost their worst ever election loss, Conservative MPs were curiously gleeful at their Birmingham conference this week.

- Rowena Mason, Jessica Elgot, Pippa Crerar

Denial about the scale of the defeat, exaggeration of Labour's teething troubles in government and delusion about their party's chances of returning quickly were widespread. "I'd never have said this but I think we'll be back in five years. I don't know if Keir [Starmer] will even last that long," one centrist former cabinet minister said, to sceptical onlookers.

The four leadership candidates appeared complicit in the mood of groundless optimism. Of the four, only James Cleverly offered an apology to the party and country for the turmoil in the Tories leading up to the election. But his main message was about delivering conservatism "with a smile", to rousing applause in the auditorium.

Kemi Badenoch, the darling of the right in the contest, argued the result had been so bad because the party had governed too much in the centre, while Robert Jenrick claimed the party's problems could be solved by resuming the legally troubled Rwanda scheme and quitting the European convention on human rights.

MPs explained that some of the Boris Johnson-style boosterism was born of relief at not being wiped out and the end of Rishi Sunak's unpopular tenure. With the inevitable defeat out of the way, the race was on to position themselves in the winning leadership camp and plot their way into shadow jobs.

"Most of us who are left are just happy to have kept our seats. And when you've only got 121 MPs, there's a big chance of shaping the future of the party and getting a decent job," said one MP, adding: "Unless you're really hopeless."

Another former minister added: "A heavy defeat that we have all been dreading for two or three years is no longer hanging over us. The only way is up. There are more party members here than usual and they are engaged in the leadership contest."