Michael Gove, who is stepping down at the next election, hinted that Liz Truss may be responsible if the Conservatives face defeat. The Housing Secretary remarked
that the Tories’ re-election prospects suffered due to the former prime minister’s disastrous mini-budget.
Although he refrained from directly naming Truss, Gove alluded to the "period between Boris and Rishi" as a challenging time for the party. He urged his colleagues not to veer further to the Right if Labour wins, acknowledging that it would be a "stretch" for the Conservatives to secure victory and warning of the risk of Labour becoming a "forever government."
During a visit to a building site in west London, Gove commented, "One of the challenges we face is the reputation for sound economic management, which is essential to Conservative success, took a bit of a knock in the period between Boris and Rishi. That was undoubtedly a challenge, and we’ve had very good economic management since then."
Gove emphasized the importance of reassessing party support post-election, regardless of the outcome. At The Times CEO Summit, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt admitted that a Conservative win in the general election was not "the most likely outcome." He also noted that his own seat was "too close to call," with many constituents still undecided.
Earlier, Gove cautioned that Labour might use a significant majority to "rig the system" and establish a "forever government." He expressed concerns about Labour potentially extending voting rights to EU citizens, 16-year-olds, and prisoners, which could secure their dominance.
Gove advised against a rightward shift, advocating for a Conservative approach that includes social justice. He stated, "The Conservative party is at its best when it embraces the spirit that we had in 2010 and 2019, recognizing that you need to be a party that appeals to every part of the country, in background and geography."
Highlighting the need to appeal to renters and those aspiring to own property, Gove said, "We can’t just be a party that safeguards those who have done well because of hard work; we’ve got to be a party on the side of those who aspire to both do better economically and contribute to society."
Gove declined to comment on the impact of the "partygate" scandal on the election. Photo by Policy Exchange, Wikimedia commons.