Unite to defeat Reform UK, say Conservative grandees

Theresa May calls for unity during heated leadership contest

- ARCHIE MITCHELL

Tory grandees have warned the Conservative Party leadership candidates not to play into the hands of Reform UK as the contest threatens to spiral into infighting with the annual conference set to start today in Birmingham.

As MPs and activists flock to the International Convention Centre, former prime minister Theresa May and ex-Tory leader William Hague said those vying to replace Rishi Sunak need to acknowledge the scale of the defeat suffered by the Conservatives in July.

Lord Hague said the party must understand how resounding the general election defeat was and the monumental task it has to get itself ready for government again.

He told BBC Radio 4’s Westminster Hour: “They have to understand how big it is. It’s always tempting to think that you only have to change a bit, whereas really you have to change a lot.

“This is a monumental task and just because the Labour government has had a difficult first three months, no one should be under the illusion that it becomes an easy task.”

And, asked what advice he would give to the successful leadership contender, he added: “It will be a long haul. The Labour government will be vulnerable, even in four or five years’ time.

“But that does not mean that people will see the Conservatives as the natural replacement for them, unless we have a very single-minded leader who can communicate values, appeal to new generations and talk about the issues of the future.”

Meanwhile, Lady May, writing in The Times, warned that the Conservative Party “failed to see the threat from the Liberal Democrats” while focusing too much on Reform.

But she said the remaining candidates for the Tory leadership could “play into Reform’s hands” by failing to understand why they lost the general election.