Conservative rightwingers are planning to present Rishi Sunak with demands for tougher action on immigration and human rights law before the election if the prime minister’s manifesto promises on Tuesday fall flat.

Prominent party figures including Suella Braverman and Robert Jenrick are said by Tory insiders to be among those waiting to see how the manifesto is received by the public before they act.

.In the event Sunak’s launch fails to shift the dial on the Tories’ floundering election campaign, one option under discussion is a press conference next week to set out a series of alternative pledges.

They are hoping to capitalise on an already weakened Sunak who vowed to fight on until the last day of the campaign after a terrible weekend in which he was criticised for missing part of the D-day commemorations.

On the campaign trail in West Sussex on Monday, the prime minister said he believed he could still win back voters and he did not accept that the election result was a foregone conclusion

    • zurohki@aussie.zone
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      17 days ago

      If they’ve completely given up on winning - which they should have, considering the polling - then it does make sense for the conservatives to focus on defending themselves from Reform. It’s not complete madness.

      • frankPodmore@slrpnk.net
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        17 days ago

        I still think it would be better for them and the country to try and win votes back from Labour. That would also help them shore up their support with the Lib Dems and with the unionist vote in Scotland. There are more votes that way and more of the votes they actually need.

        So, the reason they’re leaning right isn’t anything to do with electoral arithmetic, it’s just what they want to do!

        • HumanPenguin@feddit.uk
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          17 days ago

          Unfortunately we are not the only natiin moving right.

          There seems to be a world wide move towards the more extream right. So while I really hope you are correct and the UK right wing nut case population is smaller the centrist and left. I am pretty sure watching the US and EU elections is what the far right of the party is using to make thier argument.

          • frankPodmore@slrpnk.net
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            17 days ago

            That is a fair point, unfortunately. I hope Labour are also looking to the centre-left in those places, to learn from their mistakes!