‘This is getting silly’: senior Tories criticise Simon Clarke after he calls for Sunak’s resignation – UK politics live | Politics

Last night Simon Clarke posted messages on X responding to the criticism he was getting from colleagues over his Telegraph article. He said “emphatically” that his call for Rishi Sunak to go was not motivated by a desire to secure the party leadership for himself, or for someone else.

I know I will be attacked for saying this.

Perhaps even accused of positioning myself or on behalf of another — emphatically neither of which I am doing.

I am speaking out because the stakes for our country and my party are too high to stay silent

Every Conservative MP will need to live with the decision they make in the coming days for the rest of their lives.

Failing to act would itself represent a decision.

Look at the polls.

Personal insults don’t change the facts.

I have no further comment to make.

No 10 has not responded to the Simon Clarke article, but Kevin Hollinrake, the postal services minister, and someone who has had a friendly relationship with Rishi Sunak for years, was doing the broadcast round this morning and he said Conservative MPs overwhelmingly disagreed with what Clarke said. He told Times Radio:

I don’t think [Clarke’s] right. I think the parliamentary party and the wider party is overwhelmingly in support of the prime minister. Quite rightly too. I don’t agree, I don’t think Simon’s right on this …

Of course, some people panic at a difficult time, but this is not the overwhelming view of the party.

Good morning. Until last night, the only Conservative MP publicly calling for Rishi Sunak to resign was Dame Andrea Jenkyns, a Boris Johnson acolyte who spent three and a half months as a junior minister. Even lobby correspondents would draw the line at calling her a “senior Tory” and no one paid much attention. But last night Sir Simon Clarke, who has served in cabinet under two prime ministers and who is not widely viewed as a crank, joined in, publishing an article in the Daily Telegraph saying the Tories should ditch Sunak before the general election.

Potentially, this takes the Conservative leadership crisis into new territory. Clarke is close to Liz Truss, the former PM, who is about to launch a new group called Popular Conservatism (sic), or PopCon. It does not seem committed to supporting Sunak’s leadership. Perhaps more importantly, Clarke seems to have the backing of an even more important player in Tory politics: the Daily Telegraph.

But … the early indications are that this could fail just as dismally as the Geoff Hoon/Patricia Hewitt “coup” against Gordon Brown in 2010. Clarke does not seem to have any Conservative MPs clambering out of the trenches behind him, and some proper senior Tories have lined up to attack him.

Priti Patel, the former home secretary, has accused him of “facile and divisive self-indulgence”.

At this critical time for our country, with challenges at home and abroad, our party must focus on the people we serve and deliver for the country. Engaging in facile and divisive self indulgence only serves our opponents, it’s time to unite and get on with the job.

Liam Fox, the former international trade secretary, says Clarke’s initiative makes a big defeat more likely.

This is not the time for self indulgence and tribalism in the party. Those who have an agenda to destabilise the government in an election year should understand the consequences. Having been on the front bench for all 13 years in opposition, it is a miserable place. Be warned.

David Davis, the former Brexit secretary, says Clarke is just being silly.

This is getting silly.

The Party and the country are sick and tired of MPs putting their own leadership ambitions ahead of the UK’s best interests.

It is really about time that these people realise they have a duty to the country that is greater than their personal leadership ambitions.

And Ben Wallace, the former defence secretary, said:

My colleague Sir Simon Clarke MP is wrong. The way to win the next election is to tackle inflation and grow the economy.

Rishi is doing just that. Division and another PM would lead to the certain loss of power. We need to focus on delivering for the public not divisive rowing.

And the opposition parties can’t believe their luck. This is from Pat McFadden, Labour’s national campaign coordinator.

Labour will focus on serving the British people whilst the Tories form another circular firing squad.

There are many good reasons for getting rid of this clapped out Conservative government and liberating the British people from endless bouts of Tory infighting is certainly one of them.

Here is the agenda for the day.

Noon: Rishi Sunak faces Keir Starmer at PMQs.

After 12.45pm: MPs debate all stages of the Northern Ireland (executive formation) bill, which gives more time for a power-sharing executive to be formed before elections have to be held because it has not happened.

Afternoon: MPs hold a general debate “on the situation in the Red Sea”.

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