Conservative Party in Crisis: Is Bringing Back Boris Johnson the Answer?
The Conservative Party is facing a mounting crisis, with the local elections proving to be worse than expected. Labour may be struggling, but its voters are increasingly turning to every party except the Tories, who have now slipped to fourth in some opinion polls. According to an article in The New Statesman, there is growing concern about the strategy and performance of Kemi Badenoch.
In a stark assessment of the party’s predicament, The New Statesman notes that "the Conservative Party is 105 for 5, still requiring 122 to avoid an innings defeat." The temptation, especially for those old enough to recall the 1981 Headingley Test, is to summon a new batsman to the crease to give it a bit of welly. The search is on for a political version of Ian "Beefy" Botham, a charismatic and carefree competitor who will repeatedly smite the ball into the stands and deliver a famous, and unlikely, victory.
The obvious candidate for this role, according to The New Statesman, is Boris Johnson. "Wherever Tories converse, the talk is increasingly of the return of Boris Johnson," the article states. "After all, the last time the Conservatives were fourth in the polls with Farage triumphant, Johnson replaced the party leader, made Farage an irrelevance and led the Tories to a landslide victory. Now, it is argued, is the time to repeat the trick."
However, as The New Statesman points out, Johnson’s motivation for a return to politics is not the issue, but rather the method. "This is where it gets difficult, and the speculation is wilder," the article notes. "There is talk of plots and a by-election in which Johnson will stand and win." But Badenoch might as well hand in her resignation and let Johnson stand as the Conservative candidate in a by-election. His arrival in the Commons would almost immediately result in her fall.
The New Statesman questions whether Johnson is the right person to take the Conservative Party forward, even if he can find a seat to fight and win. "The case for is the one set out above," the article states. "Desperate times call for desperate measures, and now is the time for a big hitter. But such moves rarely work, which is partly why we remember when they do." The article concludes that "bringing back Johnson would make a bad situation worse."
According to The New Statesman, Johnson’s record on immigration is a particular vulnerability. "The people to whom Johnson most appealed in 2019 are those most angry at the levels of net migration that resulted from his immigration policies," the article notes. Defending his record here would surely be hopeless. He could accept responsibility, apologise and hope to move on – but Reform will be determined to prevent that from happening.
The New Statesman’s article concludes that if the Conservatives want to be for the voters who are fed up with the political class and want a party promising change, Johnson has had his chance. "This was part of his appeal in 2019 but three years later he left office unpopular and distrusted by many of those very voters," the article states. "Farage, uncontaminated by experience in office, has the advantage." If, in contrast, the Conservatives finally recognise that they should once again aspire to be the party of the responsible, pragmatic, and competent, Johnson is the person they should define themselves against, not elect as leader.
In a final assessment, The New Statesman argues that the Conservative Party’s best course of action is not to bring back Boris Johnson, but to focus on rebuilding and reconnecting with its core values. "Given the party’s recent record, appealing to those voters will not be easy for the Tories but choosing to back Johnson would make that task impossible," the article concludes.
Source: The New Statesman
