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| Theresa May has benefited from the Tories’ hunger for power | Theresa May has benefited from the Tories’ hunger for power |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| There is a reason why the Conservative party is the most electorally successful political organisation in the western world. They have an iron will to power their rivals lack – and they have just shown it once again. | There is a reason why the Conservative party is the most electorally successful political organisation in the western world. They have an iron will to power their rivals lack – and they have just shown it once again. |
| Related: Leadsom was right to withdraw – her candidacy was nonsense on stilts | Matthew d’Ancona | Related: Leadsom was right to withdraw – her candidacy was nonsense on stilts | Matthew d’Ancona |
| Little more than a fortnight after they appeared on the brink of civil war - as their leader resigned and the party’s leading lights turned on each other in a fevered round of betrayal and backstabbing – they have now rallied around a single figure. Soon, very soon, Theresa May will be prime minister and (most of) the Tory tribe will unite around her. Compared to the long, messy and fratricidal battle only just beginning in the Labour party, the Conservatives have moved with surgical swiftness. | Little more than a fortnight after they appeared on the brink of civil war - as their leader resigned and the party’s leading lights turned on each other in a fevered round of betrayal and backstabbing – they have now rallied around a single figure. Soon, very soon, Theresa May will be prime minister and (most of) the Tory tribe will unite around her. Compared to the long, messy and fratricidal battle only just beginning in the Labour party, the Conservatives have moved with surgical swiftness. |
| Andrea Leadsom’s exit was not inevitable. It’s not the case that she was bound to be crushed in a ballot against May and therefore got out now to spare herself the humiliation. On the contrary, and for all her obvious flaws, she had a key advantage: she stood to benefit from the entrenched anti-EU instincts of the 150,000-strong party membership who were poised to decide this contest in a ballot. Past precedent suggested that in any choice, they would prefer the candidate positioned as the most stridently anti-EU. That was her. | Andrea Leadsom’s exit was not inevitable. It’s not the case that she was bound to be crushed in a ballot against May and therefore got out now to spare herself the humiliation. On the contrary, and for all her obvious flaws, she had a key advantage: she stood to benefit from the entrenched anti-EU instincts of the 150,000-strong party membership who were poised to decide this contest in a ballot. Past precedent suggested that in any choice, they would prefer the candidate positioned as the most stridently anti-EU. That was her. |
| Nevertheless, she reportedly found the weekend hammering she received over her comments to the Times – suggesting that, because she has children while Theresa May does not, she has more of a “real stake” in the future – too much. That may have been a political judgment, concluding that she had done herself too much damage to win. Or it may have been more personal, deciding that the mockery and scrutiny she had faced, and would continue to face, were too much to bear. Perhaps nine weeks cast as Britain’s Sarah Palin – inspiring both ridicule and revulsion – was impossible to face. | |
| This means a remainer will lead a government whose central task will be Brexit | This means a remainer will lead a government whose central task will be Brexit |
| In her short statement, Leadsom said the reason she dropped out was that she lacked “sufficient support” in parliament. She said that even if she won among members, it would be impossible to lead the country without the backing of her own MPs. (As it happens, that’s precisely opposite to the stance taken by Jeremy Corbyn.) We can perhaps be sceptical of that logic, given that her lack of parliamentary support was clear last week too. So something else must have changed. | |
| It now means that Britain is about to be led by its second female prime minister. It also means a remainer will lead a government whose central task will be Brexit. That could be a recipe for more of the internal tensions over Europe that devoured the last three Conservative premierships. From the very start, May will be under constant pressure from those watching and waiting for her to betray the verdict delivered in the 23 June referendum. With that doubtless in mind, this morning May reiterated her stance that Brexit will mean Brexit. | It now means that Britain is about to be led by its second female prime minister. It also means a remainer will lead a government whose central task will be Brexit. That could be a recipe for more of the internal tensions over Europe that devoured the last three Conservative premierships. From the very start, May will be under constant pressure from those watching and waiting for her to betray the verdict delivered in the 23 June referendum. With that doubtless in mind, this morning May reiterated her stance that Brexit will mean Brexit. |
| For the country, even non-Conservatives might now breathe a sigh of relief. The most experienced and qualified candidate will take over as prime minister in what is a time of great turbulence. The markets perked up, suggesting they feel reassured – and they will not be the only ones. | For the country, even non-Conservatives might now breathe a sigh of relief. The most experienced and qualified candidate will take over as prime minister in what is a time of great turbulence. The markets perked up, suggesting they feel reassured – and they will not be the only ones. |
| As for Labour, this will concentrate minds. May’s speech this morning showed they face a formidable opponent, one who has already moved fast to place several tanks on to what should be Labour’s lawn. She spoke about inequality, sexism, racism, the class divide, social immobility and the failure to help those with mental illness. She spoke of the precariousness and insecurity of life for those who may be in work, but feel as if they are only just getting by. She spoke too of the needs of the young who cannot own a home. She promised to fight these “injustices”. | |
| Meanwhile, Labour is fighting itself. It’s that age-old Tory will to power. For nearly two centuries, it has shaped British politics. Theresa May shows she has every intention of keeping it that way. | Meanwhile, Labour is fighting itself. It’s that age-old Tory will to power. For nearly two centuries, it has shaped British politics. Theresa May shows she has every intention of keeping it that way. |