Gloom, resignation, but also a show of fighting spirit as PM’s troops weigh up the odds on re-election
A Westminster official in the role of Black Rod controlling access to parliament. Many Tory MPs expect to see power pass to Labour after the election.A Westminster official in the role of Black Rod controlling access to parliament. Many Tory MPs expect to see power pass to Labour after the election.One government minister was seen thrusting his official red folder towards his opposition number, whom he had happened to bump into. “You might as well have this now,” he said.
Others, led by the deputy prime minister, Oliver Dowden, believed the prime minister could not afford to wait. They were already conscious that the economic recovery was not happening as quickly as they had expected, and that when inflation did fall and interest rates were cut the government would be unlikely to get the credit.
Not all Tory MPs were so defeatist. Even among those who thought the summer election was a mistake, there were plenty determined to fight on, doing everything they might locally to encourage voters to back them, even if the national picture looked bleak. Another suggested it was a “perfectly respectable aim” for the prime minister to try to minimise losses and deprive Labour of a big majority, although laughed when it was suggested the Tories could still pull it back.
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