Most Tories secretly agree Sunak leading party to ‘monumental disaster’, MP says

The majority of Conservative MPs are privately discussing the prospect of a change in leadership before the next election, a Tory MP has claimed.

Rishi Sunak’s internal problems spread beyond the apparent plot orchestrated by the Conservative Britain Alliance and voiced by ex-cabinet minister Sir Simon Clarke, with MPs from a number of wings of the party preparing for a possible contest before polling day, the MP said.

The MP warned the party was heading for a “monumental disaster” at the election under Mr Sunak and that it was time for a change in leader.

The Prime Minister played down Tory divisions on Thursday by appealing to his MPs to stick with his plan for Britain and insisting that his Government is “making progress”.

But a fresh poll for GB News showed the Conservatives are on just 20 per cent, 25 points behind Labour and only eight points ahead of Reform, the right-wing party founded by Nigel Farage.

Dire poll ratings have led to despondency across the parliamentary party, one Conservative MP told i, adding that while no one was yet willing to publicly agree with Sir Simon, “more than half” of MPs sympathise with his position.

Representatives from different potential leadership camps are discreetly approaching MPs to ask their views about a possible change, i has been told.

Allies of both Suella Braverman and Liz Truss are suspected of working behind the scenes on possible future leadership plans but centrist Tory MPs are also taking soundings from their colleagues, one MP said.

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While Sir Simon has been linked to the CBA group, which was behind the bombshell YouGov poll for the Daily Telegraph last week showing Mr Sunak is heading for a landslide defeat on the scale of 1997, other leadership camps are privately organising for a possible contest in case the revolt against Mr Sunak grows before polling day.

The Tory MP said: “The conversation in the tea room is that everybody is united around the PM and the last thing we want is a leadership contest.

“However, when MPs talk with their close friends it is a completely different conversation. They know that the conversation isn’t going to go anywhere.

“We have a very serious problem. The support for Rishi Sunak has not improved in the least since he became leader well over a year ago, and in some polls it has got a lot worse.

“On that basis, the party is heading for a monumental disaster. People are clearly worried, especially new members, that their political careers will be over within months and they are looking to going back to whatever jobs they were doing before – if they can still get employment.

“There is a recognition that Rishi is not going to change. He hasn’t done anything meaningful in terms of the polls and there is a feeling that a different person may well achieve something better.

“The argument that we cannot possibly have another leadership contest carries little weight in those really private conversations.

“If another leader comes along and can do better, then that completely squashes the argument against having another leadership contest.

“As far as the public are concerned, what they are saying on the doorstep is ‘Get on with it and start leading the country if you want my vote’.”

“Simon Clarke may have been trashed by Conservative MPs, but there is significant support for what he said.

“People are however very reluctant to go public, and they will be even more reluctant to now given the backlash Simon has had.

But speaking to reporters during a visit to Scarborough on Thursday, the Prime Minister said he knew when he took over as Conservative leader that it “wasn’t going to be easy”.

He added: “I really do think that we are now making progress, take the economy for example.”

Mr Sunak argued that “because of that careful management of the economy, we’re now able to cut people’s taxes”, citing the national insurance reduction earlier this month.

“If we stick with this plan then we can ensure that everyone has peace of mind, that there’s a brighter future ahead, and a renewed sense of pride in our country – that’s what I’m focused on,” he added.

The People Polling survey for GB News put Labour on 45 per cent, the Conservatives on 20 per cent and Reform on 12 per cent.

Some 14 per cent of people said it was “very” or “somewhat” likely they would consider voting for Richard Tice’s Reform at the next election.

This figure rose to 29 per cent among 2019 Conservative voters and 26 per cent among Brexit voters.

A poll by Ipso Mori also spelt bad news for the Prime Minister. It found most voters – 53 per cent – had an unfavourable view of Rishi Sunak, compared to 24 per cent who were favourable. However, no one candidate to replace Mr Sunak stood out among 2019 Conservative voters, the poll found.

By contrast 41 per cent had an unfavourable view of Labour leader Keir Starmer, compared to 28 per cent who are favourable.