Expert sees Tories facing ordeal
The British general election ends in disaster for the Conservatives. The party has recorded its worst result. An expert says the Conservative Party is facing a major test. "What's left of the party can't possibly stay together," said political scientist Mark Garnett from the University of Lancaster.
After their devastating defeat in the British general election, an expert sees the Conservative Party facing a major test. "What's left of the party can't possibly remain united," said the political scientist Mark Garnett.
The Conservatives led by the ousted Prime Minister Rishi Sunak won only 121 of the 650 seats in the House of Commons in London and recorded their worst result. In reaction to this, Sunak announced his resignation from the party leadership.
"If they elect a moderate new leader, the right-wingers will join Reform UK," said Garnett, looking at the right-wing populist party of Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage. "If they elect a right-wing populist leader, the moderates will either join the Liberal Democrats or Labour, whose newly elected prime minister is a moderate, unifying figure."
Reform Alliance could attract populists
If Reform becomes the most powerful political force in the right-wing camp, it could attract populists like former Prime Minister Boris Johnson and former Home Secretary Suella Braverman, who would immediately try to undermine party leader Farage, said the political scientist.
"The real lesson from the election is that the majority of British voters are still centrist in their thinking," said Garnett. They used the electoral system to punish extremist parties. "Conservative extremists blame Rishi Sunak for not being extreme enough." In a time when populists are on the march in many European countries, Britain is on course to have a moderate, centrist leadership for a long time.
In the wake of the Conservative Party's dismal performance in the British House of Commons election, the possibility of a moderate new leader emerged as a solution. According to political scientist Mark Garnett, if such a leader was elected, right-wingers might align with Reform UK, the political party led by Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage.
Following the election, former Conservative Party leader Rishi Sunak announced his resignation after the party recorded its worst result, winning only 121 seats out of 650. This outcome sparked debates about the party's future composition, with potential divisions between right-wing populists and moderates.
