Andrew Marr: The populist right are rising - and that spells bad news for Sunak with Braverman openly pitching for his job
3 October 2023, 18:12
Andrew Marr: Suella Braverman's speech was a leadership pitch
The populist right are rising inside the Tory Party, and that spells bad news for Rishi Sunak, with Suella Braverman openly pitching for his job, Andrew Marr has said.
Listen to this article
Loading audio...
Speaking from the Conservative Party Conference, the LBC presenter said Ms Braverman's "clear" and "eloquent" speech was an audition for the Tory party leadership.
Andrew said: "At this Tory conference in Manchester, I've been arguing that the populist right is in the ascendant and that that's bad news for the Prime Minister as he tries to stake out his case for another election victory.
"You may remember David Gauke, the former Conservative cabinet minister on the show yesterday, saying that he feared a “hostile takeover” by elements of UKIP, who want to remake the Tories as a party in which Nigel Farage feels perfectly happy. I mentioned that Priti Patel, the former home secretary, had warmly praised Nigel Farage.
"What I didn't know is that we were about to see very vivid footage of her and Nigel Farage dancing rather wildly to Robbie Williams at a conference party; or that the prime minister himself wouldn't rule out Farage rejoining the Conservatives."
Watch Tonight with Andrew Marr exclusively on Global Player every Monday to Thursday from 6pm to 7pm
Andrew went on: "Earlier today I spoke to Jacob Rees-Mogg and asked him whether he’d welcome Farage into the Tory fold; he said he regarded Farage as a friend and somebody who had always, deep down, been a Conservative and strongly implied he'd like to see him back."
"Farage himself, sadly, says he doesn’t want to go to the tories at least not now: I guess he is having too much fun in the media and on the dance floor. As the Tories contemplate the possibility of electoral defeat, something quite big is happening in this party."
You can also listen to the podcast Tonight with Andrew Marr only on Global Player.
He continued: "And of all the leading cabinet figures, the one who speaks most clearly to the hard right is of course Priti Patel’s successor, the Home Secretary Suella Braverman.
"She says that multiculturalism has failed - something most of the rest of the Conservative leadership don't accept - the prime minister himself couldn't say he agreed with her and instead when asked gave an account of his own highly successful experience as a member of an immigrant family.
"But today, after a series of frankly dire, third rate speeches by Cabinet ministers, Suella Braverman made one of the clearest, most eloquent auditions for party leadership I think I've heard."
