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Election 2017: Tories 'should have focused on change' | Election 2017: Tories 'should have focused on change' |
(about 4 hours later) | |
The Conservative Party should have campaigned for "change not continuity" in the general election, one of Theresa May's former leading advisers has said. | The Conservative Party should have campaigned for "change not continuity" in the general election, one of Theresa May's former leading advisers has said. |
Nick Timothy told the Daily Telegraph that Downing Street was also guilty of a breakdown in communication with both the public and Whitehall departments. | Nick Timothy told the Daily Telegraph that Downing Street was also guilty of a breakdown in communication with both the public and Whitehall departments. |
The party clearly underestimated Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, he added. | The party clearly underestimated Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, he added. |
Mr Timothy resigned as the prime minister's joint chief of staff after the Tories lost their majority. | Mr Timothy resigned as the prime minister's joint chief of staff after the Tories lost their majority. |
He said: "If the party retreats into a comfort zone that we don't find very challenging, I worry that we will not only fail to address the challenges the country faces but we will also increase the chances of a hard-left government in five years' time." | He said: "If the party retreats into a comfort zone that we don't find very challenging, I worry that we will not only fail to address the challenges the country faces but we will also increase the chances of a hard-left government in five years' time." |
Mr Timothy was joint chief of staff alongside Fiona Hill, and co-wrote the Conservatives' manifesto going into the general election. | Mr Timothy was joint chief of staff alongside Fiona Hill, and co-wrote the Conservatives' manifesto going into the general election. |
He rejected reports that Mrs May had intended to sack Chancellor Philip Hammond if she increased her Commons majority. | He rejected reports that Mrs May had intended to sack Chancellor Philip Hammond if she increased her Commons majority. |
Mrs May is still prepared to walk away from Brexit talks without a deal, he added, but her hopes of reversing the ban on new grammar schools are over. | Mrs May is still prepared to walk away from Brexit talks without a deal, he added, but her hopes of reversing the ban on new grammar schools are over. |
Mr Timothy said plans for ministers to play a bigger part in the election campaign were overruled by party strategists. | Mr Timothy said plans for ministers to play a bigger part in the election campaign were overruled by party strategists. |
He conceded it "probably is true that there should have been more on the economy during the campaign". | He conceded it "probably is true that there should have been more on the economy during the campaign". |
"Overall the lesson of the election for the party and for the government cannot be: 'Oh well, we tried that and we didn't win the election we were hoping for so let's not try it any more'," he said. | "Overall the lesson of the election for the party and for the government cannot be: 'Oh well, we tried that and we didn't win the election we were hoping for so let's not try it any more'," he said. |
"If the party retreats to a much more orthodox Conservative proposition then I worry that won't be sufficient to tackle the big problems that the country has and in five years' time we do risk the election of a dangerous left-wing alternative." | "If the party retreats to a much more orthodox Conservative proposition then I worry that won't be sufficient to tackle the big problems that the country has and in five years' time we do risk the election of a dangerous left-wing alternative." |
Mr Timothy was interviewed by the Telegraph ahead of starting to write a weekly column for the paper. | Mr Timothy was interviewed by the Telegraph ahead of starting to write a weekly column for the paper. |
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