Tory party is a 'failing organisation' and needs urgent reform says one of its top MPs
2 min read
A senior Conservative MP has offered a damning assessment of his own party - branding it a “failing organisation” in need of reform.
Bernard Jenkin said the Tories' reliance on a small pool of donors and the soundbite obsession in its messaging had cost the party its majority at the general election.
In a post-mortem report for the powerful backbench 1922 committee the Harwich and North Essex MP also blamed the “underlying malaise” at the party’ HQ.
He wrote: “In a failing organisation, which is beset by an atmosphere of crisis, it can be very difficult to talk truthfully about why things have gone wrong…
“People within the organisation can feel very inhibited and fearful, particularly if there is an atmosphere of blame.
“Anyone who has worked in CCHQ during the past few months will recognise some or all of these characteristics.”
Mr Jenkin – who was yesterday elected unopposed to chair the Public Administration Select Committee yesterday – criticised his party's failure to attract enough voters under the age of 45.
He noted that the Tories had fewer members and “far fewer activists” than leftwing campaign group Momentum and said the party had failed to deliver a “convincing narrative about Jeremy Corbyn, beyond demonisation and vilification”.
He called for a new mission statement and fresh values to reboot the party and confront the conception that the Tories are the party of the rich.
In a recent opinion poll by YouGov Labour was eight points clear of the Conservatives.
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