News
Sirena Bergman
Oct 03, 2020
Conservative MP for Braintree James Cleverly appeared on BBC Breakfast this morning to discuss the party conference, which will be held remotely this weekend.
Cleverly opened by explaining that it's a "very different type of conference" but that "much of what people want from conference – to interact with ministers, to learn about what's going on..." will still be possible in a virtual space.
Interviewer Naga Munchetti went on to suggest that it would also need to be "a PR exercise" for the party given latest approval polls show that 57 per cent of the population think Boris Johnson is doing badly, compared to just 23 per cent in April.
Cleverly responded by highlighting the "unprecedented set of circumstances", and claiming the government was meeting its targets on recruiting nurses and police officers.
When pushed though, he struggled to answer the question posed, and fell back on "infrastructure" and "building back better". Perhaps sensing he wasn't quite getting his point across, Cleverly tried to sneak in one last point, saying that the Tories were:
Getting on with the things we said we would do to repair the country we inherited from Labour.
Munchetty glossed over the bizarre comment, perhaps because it doesn't sound all that remarkable on the face of it. Until, that is, you remember that Labour has not been in power for a decade.
People were quick to point out how absurd it was to blame a party which last ran the country 10 years and three prime ministers ago for Boris Johnson's low approval ratings today.
Naga - Why do you think 57% of the public think Boris Johnson is doing a bad job? James Cleverly - "We are going t… https://t.co/bXuxSZpxx5— Haggis_UK 🇬🇧 🇪🇺 (@Haggis_UK 🇬🇧 🇪🇺) 1601708220
@Haggis_UK What the hell? He's not really actually blaming Labour for the mess they're in???— Very Angry Half Woman Half Mince Pie 🤬🤬 (@Very Angry Half Woman Half Mince Pie 🤬🤬) 1601708768
@Haggis_UK The heights of imbecility still being scaled on a daily basis by James “Cleverly”. Blaming Labour after… https://t.co/GZTslpeDDR— Adam Butler (@Adam Butler) 1601710264
While others suggested that it wasn't the Labour government's legacy we are still recovering from.
@Haggis_UK Will never be able to repair the country after thatcher— R4dey (@R4dey) 1601708539
@Haggis_UK Tell you what, I felt much better off under the last Labour Government than I ever did under this lot!— Lynn 💙🔸🇪🇺🇬🇧🌈 (@Lynn 💙🔸🇪🇺🇬🇧🌈) 1601710874
@Haggis_UK @A50Challenge @JamesCleverly really isn’t very clever is he?? A decade of Tory incompetence. A failed Br… https://t.co/fc9bzLXNAp— MarkAP.. (@MarkAP..) 1601710057
Perhaps it's time for the party to update its talking points? No one can live in 2010 forever...
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