Displaying items by tag: Conservative party

In a surprising turn, on 9 October James Cleverly was eliminated from the Conservative Party leadership race, leaving Robert Jenrick and Kemi Badenoch as the final contenders. On 9 October, when Tory MPs voted, Badenoch regained her position as the favourite, receiving 42 votes, while Jenrick followed closely with 41 votes. Cleverly, who had gained momentum after the Conservative Party conference, had led the previous day’s ballot with 39 votes, but only secured 37 votes and so failed to advance. Both Badenoch and Jenrick represent the right wing of the party, and key issues in the final race are expected to include immigration and the UK's membership in the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). Jenrick is for leaving the ECHR, while Badenoch prefers a review, with the possibility of leaving if necessary. The result sets up a contest between two candidates offering distinct visions for the future. The outcome, to be decided by the votes of party members, will be announced on 2 November.

Robert Jenrick and Kemi Badenoch have emerged as the frontrunners in the Conservative Party leadership race following the second round of MP voting. Jenrick led with 33 votes, followed by Badenoch with 28. James Cleverly and Tom Tugendhat were tied in third with 21 votes, while Mel Stride was eliminated. Badenoch's team celebrated her momentum, noting she gained the most new votes. Jenrick’s camp touted his steady support, positioning him as a strong contender for the final two. Despite their trailing positions, Cleverly and Tugendhat remain hopeful, looking to attract Stride’s moderate supporters. Both will aim to boost their profiles at the upcoming party conference in Birmingham. A poll showed Badenoch with 24% support among Tory members, ahead of Tugendhat (16%), Cleverly (14%), and Jenrick (12%). Two more MP ballots in early October will determine the final two candidates, who will then face an online vote by party members, with results announced on 2 November.

Diane Abbott, an independent MP and former Labour member, has accused both the Conservative and Labour parties of 'shocking' racism in the recent Tory donor controversy. The row centres on businessman Frank Hester's alleged racist and sexist comments about Abbott, for which he has since apologised but insisted he's not racist or sexist. Hester donated £10 million to the Conservatives, which has sparked debate over whether the party should return the funds. Abbott criticised the Conservatives for their long-standing role in perpetuating racism, including personal attacks against her. She also expressed disappointment with the Labour party's response, which initially focused on the financial aspect rather than the racism and sexism involved. The scandal has led to widespread criticism, with political figures across the spectrum, including business secretary Kemi Badenoch and former chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng, condemning Hester's remarks. Rishi Sunak, under increasing pressure, said that Hester's apology should be accepted. Internally, his party faces disagreements over handling the donation, with the Scottish Conservatives calling for a review.

Local councillor King Lawal, previously suspended for sharing his religious views on social media, has been reinstated after an investigation by Northamptonshire Council’s standards committee. He had been suspended and removed from various organisations for posting on social media that ‘Pride is not a virtue but a sin’ in response to pride parades. He also wrote about the biblical perspective on pride. Supported by the Christian Legal Centre, Lawal had been preparing for legal action, citing violations of his freedom of speech and religion. The decision to reinstate him has brought relief, and he hopes the Conservative Central Office, still investigating his membership, will follow suit. Lawal expressed surprise at the backlash, emphasising that he was sharing biblical doctrine that has existed for thousands of years. He believes public representatives should not have their speech curtailed and hopes that his reinstatement encourages people to stand up for their beliefs.

As another scandal hits the Tory party, its MPs are even more gloomy about how the Prime Minister can project the government as honest and professional. MPs endorsed a report saying that Boris Johnson lied over Partygate. But 225 of Boris’s former Conservative MP colleagues were absent, including Rishi Sunak who has not said if he agrees or disagrees with the report’s findings. See Eight months into Boris’s leadership, he faced Covid. Eight months into Rishi’s leadership, he struggles to distance himself from the Conservative chaos and deliver a government of ‘integrity, professionalism and accountability’ as he promised in October. A former cabinet minister said, ‘We can’t sell a vision to the public if Rishi doesn’t have one himself. He needs to think big, be creative, and articulate a dream the public will want to live by.’ Pray for Rishi Sunak to have heaven's wisdom in the current crisis.

Mohamed Amersi, who partially funded Boris Johnson’s campaign to become prime minister, also advised the telecoms firm Telia, which in 2010 made a controversial $220m payment to a secretive offshore company. Oil executive Victor Fedotov, who gave £900,000 to 34 Tory MPs, made $4bn from allegedly corrupt Russian pipeline deals, and is currently seeking government approval for a controversial energy link between the UK and France. Lubov Chernukhin has given over £1.8m to the Conservatives since 2012. The secret offshore wealth she shares with her husband, a former Russian minister, includes a London house worth £38m and a £10m Oxfordshire mansion. Mrs Chernukhin's lawyers say she is a British citizen and is entitled to do as she wishes with her money. High-profile foreign politicians and UK political donors have over 1,500 UK properties, bought secretly using offshore firms worth £4bn. See also

In a virtual Conservative conference speech in which Boris Johnson’s gaze extended over the horizon, to the time when our national conversation is no longer dominated by coronavirus. He said he wanted to build a ‘new Jerusalem’, with opportunity for all and improved housing and healthcare. He warned the UK could not return to normal after the pandemic, which would be a ‘catalyst’ for major change; and rejected suggestions he had ‘lost his mojo’ as ‘drivel’. He wants to see the back of coronavirus and the ‘erosion of liberties’ it had led to. He wants to see the country flourishing again. He said, ‘Even in the darkest moments we can see the bright future ahead, and we can see how to build it and we will build it together.’

Theresa May’s announcement of resignation as leader of the Conservative Party on 7 June led to many candidates setting out their stalls to succeed her. In mid-June there will be successive rounds of voting with the losing candidate being removed after each ballot until only two remain. The final two will then be voted on by the entire Conservative Party membership. The cautious and sometimes ambiguous relationship Christians should have with power and authority is most apparent in Jesus’ words, ‘Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.’ There is a God-ordained place for earthly rulers, but their authority comes under God’s ultimate rule. 1 Timothy 2:1-2 ; we are to pray for them. We don’t know who will win the Conservative leadership election, but we could consider:- Who are they leading? What is their vision for society? What is their vision based on? Do they have the character for leadership and how have they demonstrated this?

Government exists to serve the people, but as Conservatives gathered in Birmingham for their last party conference before leaving the EU, relationships between government members were fraught. Many media interviews at the conference were about Brexit rather than about government policy. Divisions over Europe caused MPs to be focused on internal debates; but as they face the Brexit challenge they need to be outward-facing to negotiate in good faith. Dominic Raab summed up the controversies: ‘I’ll tell you what’s not democracy: the efforts of a small, influential group of senior politicians and establishment figures to overturn the result of the referendum. You can just picture them, sitting in an expensive advertising agency, discussing how to claim that black is white. “Our research shows that the public doesn’t like the idea of a second referendum. That’s all right - we’ll rebrand it a people’s vote. They might buy that.”’