Voters want a party that “isn’t going to fight like cats in a sack”, a prominent Tory has said as he warned against “blue-on-blue” attacks in the upcoming leadership contest and urged “civility”.
Tees Valley mayor Lord Houchen also told the Sky News’ Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips a pact with Nigel Farage’s Reform party would be “madness”.
He made the call after former home secretary Suella Braverman, who is believed to be preparing a leadership bid, to replace Rishi Sunak, said the Conservatives risked becoming “centrist cranks”.
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She has suggested the Tories should find an “accommodation” with Reform and welcome Mr Farage into the party following the disastrous election result, that saw Labour win a landslide.
Mrs Braverman has proved a divisive figure within Conservative ranks, angering many with her intervention ahead of polling day, declaring the contest “over”.
Lord Houchen said the party had “lost its way” in recent years and stressed the need to reconnect with the public.
He said: “They want good services and they also want somebody that they can trust, and they also want a party that isn’t going to fight like cats in a sack and that’s ultimately what drove the election result.
“People just didn’t trust us anymore and they thought ultimately that we cared more about the Conservative Party and infighting and positioning within the Conservative Party… than we did about serving our country.”
The Tory peer added: “I think any leadership contender needs to rule out a partnership or a coalition or whatever relationship with Reform.
“They are a symptom of the problem – they are not the cause of the problem in the Conservative Party. And I think that way madness lies.”
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He went on: “There shouldn’t be any blue-on-blue attacks. If we want to spend the next two, three, four or five months fighting with each other, that goes to the cause of the election defeat just two weeks ago.
“And I would implore Suella, as well as every of the leadership contender, to conduct this leadership contest with civility.
“Let’s come together and let’s offer a positive option to the country.”
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Conservative commentator Iain Dale was far more robust in his criticism of Mrs Braverman.
He told Phillips: “I wonder when she mentioned the word cranks, whether she was actually looking in the mirror at the time.”
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He added: “I don’t think she’ll even stand because she’s blown up her campaign before it’s even started.
“That article that she wrote in the Telegraph two days before the election, not two days after that, went down like a cup of cold sick with Conservative Party members.”
He said the odds were “evens” on if she would defect to Reform, although this has been denied by Mrs Braverman.
The Tory backbench 1922 Committee will set the rules and timeline for the race to succeed Mr Sunak, with disagreement over how long the contest should take.
In a Conservative Home survey of 995 Tory Party members earlier this month, shadow communities secretary Kemi Badenoch polled first on 26%.
Tom Tugendhat was at 13% alongside Robert Jenrick, with Mrs Braverman on 10% and shadow home secretary James Cleverly on 9%.
Dame Priti Patel was sixth with 3%.
Meanwhile, former chancellor Jeremy Hunt said the party should “take our time” to choose a new leader if it needs to.
He told the BBC: “This time next year, the only thing that will matter is not whether we have a new leader in place by October or December, but whether we have the right leader in place, someone who can earn back that trust that we lost.
“So I think, if we need to, we absolutely should take our time.”
