Rightwing MPs Accuse Sunak Of Abandoning 'Red Wall' Tory Voters

Rightwing Conservative MPs have accused Rishi Sunak of abandoning voters who brought the party to power in 2019 amid a backlash against his reshuffle and polling suggesting public opposition to David Cameron's return.

- Ben Quinn

Unhappiness with Sunak's reshuffle, particularly the sacking of Suella Braverman as home secretary, prompted a group of predominantly "red wall" MPs to issue a scathing rebuke of the prime minister and the pro-European credentials of his new foreign secretary.

A statement issued by the MPs Miriam Cates and Danny Kruger, co-chairs of the New Conservatives group, reaffirmed support for Sunak himself, but added: "We are concerned that [Monday's] reshuffle indicates a major change in the policy direction of the government.

"The Conservative party now looks like it is deliberately walking away from the coalition of voters who brought us into power with a large majority in 2019."

The New Conservatives - a group created in May that includes the party's deputy chairman, Lee Anderson - are understood to be taking a "drip by drip" approach to voicing their concerns to try to maximise pressure on Sunak as Cameron becomes a lightning rod for discontent.