Telford Tory chair's disappointment at Sunak selection process and members being 'ignored'
Conservative members have been "ignored" over the decision to elect Rishi Sunak as Prime Minister, a party association chairman in Shropshire has said.
Councillor Tammy Wood, chair of Telford Conservatives, said that she was personally disappointed at Mr Sunak being elected, but had wider concerns about a process that left thousands of Conservative members across the country without a say.
Because no other candidate came forward to challenge Mr Sunak he was confirmed as Prime Minister without a vote of the wider Conservative Party membership.
Only last month the Conservative members roundly rejected the chance to make Mr Sunak Prime Minister – with 81,326 voting for Liz Truss, and 60,399 voting for the former chancellor.
Councillor Wood said there was frustration from the membership over the way the vote had played out – with some potential candidates for the next local council elections considering whether they still wish to stand for the party.
She said the new Prime Minister had not shown 'core Conservative' beliefs, and was too focused on 'high taxation'.
Councillor Wood said that the policies could be accepted had they been supported by members.
She said: "I do not believe he is a core Conservative. I believe he is to the left of the party, he reminds me very much of Tony Blair. His policy of high tax is not one which I have ever voted for as a Conservative, and I am 57 and I have voted Conservative ever since I have been able to vote."
She added: "I am extremely disappointed that the grassroots have been ignored. The view that MPs need to choose the leader - with all due respect not a single one of those MPs would be in parliament without the members, who walk the streets for them, take the criticism and defend their actions in parliament, so I think our views are more relevant."
She continued: "First and foremost the policies of Rishi Sunak are not my choice, but if we had a full members' choice and Sunak was elected that is a different scenario for me. I would still struggle with his policies but if he is elected by the party members then that is their choice – but I do not know if he is the members' choice.
"It is 180 MPs in parliament – those that have flipped and flopped, switched sides each time. I will be interested to see how many of those end up in the cabinet."
Councillor Wood said the situation had caused concern among members, adding: "I have got a councillor considering resigning the whip, I have got candidates lined up for the next local elections and I have already lost two who were going to stand. There are another six saying they are not sure they can stand with the Conservative tree on the ballot paper.
"These are not keyboard warriors, they are people who were going to stand, they were going to stand in their communities for the Conservative party and now they say they cannot do it."
