Leadsom frozen out after PM’s Tory conference snub
SHE could have been the woman charged with leading the country through Brexit.
But a year on from her failed bid to become the prime minister, Andrea Leadsom has been denied a speaker’s slot at the Conservative party conference, due to take place in Manchester next month.
It is two months since Mrs Leadsom was demoted to the position of Leader of the Commons, with the latest rebuff likely to be seen as another blow to her leadership ambitions.
Traditionally, Tory hopefuls have used a speech at the conference as a platform to set out their vision to the party and appeal to members across the country. The decision to leave Mrs Leadsom off the schedule is likely to disappoint the grassroots’ favourite, who is said to have clashed with Theresa May and Downing Street officials on several occasions in recent months.
It follows her demotion during a recent Cabinet reshuffle, which saw Mrs Leadsom replaced at Defra by Michael Gove. Since the reshuffle, Mrs Leadsom is also understood to have angered Mrs May’s inner circle when she appeared in front of the cameras after the Grenfell Tower blaze, without first clearing it with Number 10.
Earlier this summer, she was said to be jousting with Tory whips over her desire to hold regular meetings in the Parliamentary tea rooms, a right normally reserved for ministers who head up government departments. Her relationship with Mrs May has been sub- ject to media attention since the two were pitted against one another during the leadership race.
A spokesman for Conservative Campaign Headquarters confirmed that Mrs Leadsom had not been invited to participate at this year’s conference as a main speaker. A source close to her said they were “very relaxed about it” and had not taken her omission as a snub. They pointed out that in recent years, Lord Hague was the only MP appointed as Leader of the Commons to be invited to speak at conference.