Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
KNIVES ARE OUT FOR THERESA MAY
Tory MPS say tainted leader must ‘consider her position’
Never have I seen a very successful campaign hijacked by ourselves NIGEL EVANS TORY 1922 COMMITTEE
THE storm clouds are gathering over Theresa May after the Prime Minister’s electoral humiliation.
At least one Tory MP demanded the leader resigns while another said she would not last more than six months after a disastrous campaign. Furious members blamed the social care “dementia tax” fiasco for the defeat, while others pointed to the PM’S thirst to bring back fox hunting. Anna Soubry, whose majority in Broxtowe, Notts, was cut from 4,287 to just 863, called on Mrs May to quit. The ex-business Minister said: “She is in a difficult place. She is a remarkable and very talented woman and she doesn’t shy away from difficult decisions. “But she now has to consider her position.” The PM “put her mark on this campaign” rather than the party, said Ms Soubry. She added: “It’s a dreadful night. “I’ve lost some excellent and remarkable friends — proper, sound, moderate Conservatives. “This is a very bad moment for the party. We need to take stock — and our leader needs to take stock as well.” The manifesto U-turn on a social care cap was labelled a “serious blow” to Mrs May’s credibility. Ms Soubry added: “It did not make her look the strong and stable Prime Minister and leader she had said she was.” Meanwhile, Tory MP Heidi Allen said of Mrs May’s decision to carry on: “It feels like she’s almost not aware of what has happened in the last 24 hours. You can’t simply just put your head down and say, ‘We get on with it’.” When asked how long she gave the PM, Ms Allen replied: “I don’t see any more than six months.” Nigel Evans, another Tory MP, also blamed the social care policy for the disaster and called for change in Mrs May’s leadership team. He said: “Theresa May, I’m certain, will want to explain how there is going to be a change in the way we are going to do things. Had some Cabinet ministers seen that policy beforehand, surely that never would have featured in our manifesto. “Never have I seen a very successful campaign, up until that point, being hijacked by ourselves. From then on, it was an absolute disaster.” Mr Evans said the Tory backbench 1922 Committee would discuss her leadership. Mrs May angered moderate Tories with her desire to scrap the fox hunting ban. The Mirror revealed a plot to bring back the bloodsport — and the PM confirmed she wanted a free vote on a return to hunting. Sarah Wollaston, re-elected in Totnes but with her majority cut by almost 5,000, said: “Fox hunting and changes to social care were turning points in how people felt about the PM. Hope we never again have such a negative campaign.” A top Tory official in the Midlands blasted the election run-in. Sally Brealey, Broxtowe Conservatives’ deputy chairwoman, said: “We ran an arrogant campaign, more about scaring people than shouting about our achievements. We have learnt nothing from Clinton or Brexit that people vote for positivity. Oh, and don’t get me started on fox hunting.” A Government minister, who did not want to be named, called for Conservative Party chairman Sir Patrick Mcloughlin to resign, saying the manifesto was “ill-thought out”.