Peterborough Conservatives Reflect on Challenges and Leadership Choices

In the preceding 12 months, the Conservative party in Peterborough relinquished control of the city council and witnessed the election of a new Labour Member of Parliament by a narrow margin of 118 votes. During their customary curry evening, party members and local councillors acknowledged a period of difficulty. On a national level, with the Conservative party selecting between Kemi Badenoch and Robert Jenrick, attendees articulated the characteristics they sought in a leader and the individual capable of guiding them to success. Janet Wilkinson, a Conservative Party member for 24 years, stated that the recent period had been challenging. “We’ve had so much trauma over the last few years,” she told the BBC. “With all the leader replacements and everything, I have become a bit disillusioned.” She further commented that internal party disagreements, “especially on the Westminster side”, had “become ridiculous – it’s become laughable for a lot of people”. Ms. Wilkinson, aged 58, was among approximately two dozen individuals present at the Peterborough Conservatives’ customary curry evening. Councillors, party members, and supporters occupied three tables at the Bombay Brasserie in the city. An invitation sent via WhatsApp for the gathering inquired if attendees identified as a “Badenoch Balti” or a “Jenrick Jalfrezi”. Ms. Wilkinson remained undecided but expressed a desire for a leader capable of reuniting the party. “Replacing the leader every five minutes – that is never good for a party,” she said. “I’m still hanging in there and supporting what I believe in, because I think the long-term view is more important than the bad stuff that happened recently.” Other attendees at the curry event indicated that the aforementioned “bad stuff” encompassed the failure to uphold governmental pledges and an erosion of voter confidence. Councillor Wayne Fitzgerald heads the party’s faction within Peterborough City Council. He endorsed Robert Jenrick, the Member of Parliament for Newark, but noted the competition was “so slim” between two “capable and able” contenders. Fitzgerald stated that Jenrick’s suggestion to promptly withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights swayed his decision and would aid in formulating a “sensible immigration policy”. “I’ll be perfectly clear – I am pro-immigration, but the right kind of immigration, given to the right people who come here and want to work and contribute to our society,” he explained. “[Tory problems are] a cocktail of things, but that probably is foremost in most people’s minds. “Particularly when you have half an eye on Reform and their pitch to our voters that have perhaps deserted us – rightly – because the Conservative Party let the country down. It made promises it didn’t keep.” However, Councillor Steve Allen found Jenrick “a bit too polarised on his points of view”. Allen, aged 76, indicated he would cast his vote for Kemi Badenoch, the Member of Parliament for North West Essex, despite having initially preferred a different candidate. He mentioned that James Cleverly, the Braintree MP, “stole the show” with a “fantastic presentation” during the Conservative Party Conference. Nevertheless, Cleverly did not advance to the final two, as a greater number of MPs supported Jenrick and Badenoch in preceding voting stages. Despite this, Allen described Badenoch as a “class act”. “What I like about her – she has this proposal to fix the roof before we start putting furniture in the building,” he said. “Find what went wrong before we start coming across with defined policies.” Jacqueline Allen, his wife and a party member for eight years, also supports Badenoch. Prior to the curry meal, she dedicated several hours to telephone canvassing for Badenoch’s campaign. She reported that 16 out of the 20 party members she contacted expressed a preference for Badenoch. “She has been described as pugnacious,” Mrs Allen, 59, said. “But I think she’s not frightened to question. She wants to fix things and she is forensic in her analysis.”So, what she’s done is opened up conversations that have previously been closed.” Alex Rafiq, a 39-year-old city councillor, focused on immigration but remained discreet regarding his preferred candidate. “I felt one candidate had clearer policies and clearer issues, one of them being illegal immigration,” he said. He also expressed disappointment that Cleverly did not appear on the final ballot. “I think we were probably shocked with who the final two were, but the general consensus is we’ll get behind whoever’s selected,” he added. Both contenders possess ministerial backgrounds; Badenoch held the position of Business Secretary in Rishi Sunak’s cabinet, whereas Jenrick functioned as Housing and Communities Secretary in Boris Johnson’s administration and subsequently as immigration minister. Deeshen Ruttun, aged 31, indicated that Jenrick’s expertise in housing and immigration gave him an advantage. “If you look at the areas that are affecting the people overall, forget the parties for now, he’s the one I think that is more ready to be able to solve these [issues],” he said. Commenting on the sentiment among Conservative members, he remarked that following a significant loss in the General Election, “every step” propels the party onward. “The mood is better and obviously it’s a new start, let’s put it that way,” he continued. “Now is the time to turn the page, select the right leader and move forward.”