Andrew Castle slams Tory MPs sparking pre-election exodus

Andrew Castle slams Tories following Chester by-election

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Sajid Javid was the latest member of the Conservative Party to confirm this week that he will not seek re-election when the next vote is held. A quick succession of announcements has fuelled concerns the party could suffer a resounding defeat in the next round of voting, putting an end to over 12 years in power. Radio host Andrew Castle bemoaned the state of the Conservatives as he accused the party of “dismissing” the needs of their voters and its core values.

Kicking off a debate on the future of the party, the LBC presenter said: “Are the Conservatives heading for a definite defeat? They’re certainly acting like it.

“They’ve completely and utterly dismissed their own constituency, Middle Britain, aspirational Britain.

“Highest taxes, poorest public services, terrible industrial relations, I could go on. It really is a cocktail.

“And of course the Chester by-elections this week sees Labour win, and there was a swing to Labour, around 13 or 14 percent.”

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Chancellor Jeremy Hunt last month was forced to introduce a series of new financial measures to tackle growing inflation in the aftermath of his predecessor’s disastrous mini-budget.

The fallout left the Labour Party surpassing the Tories in most voting intention polls, ringing alarm bells for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his Government.

The Chester by-elections results further fuelled speculation of an incoming electoral defeat after a considerable swing in favour of Labour’s Samantha Dixon.

Political advisor Andrew Fisher suggested the results were a sign “people are turning away from the Conservatives.”

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He added: “I think they have just been hit by too many scandals recently. I think it is a cumulative effect.

“Partly they have been in office for 12 years and people have grown tired of them but it is also, I think, Partygate with Boris Johnson, then we had the Truss interlude, that disastrous mini-budget.

“And look, we are in the worst cost of the living crisis on record. People’s incomes are falling in real terms. People are feeling the pinch and they do not feel the Government is on their side.

“Inevitably, people are turning away from the Conservatives and you saw that last night in the [Chester] by-election, where their vote was down to about 15 percent, I think.”

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Express.co.uk understands Conservative MPs have until December 5 to inform the party whether they intend to stand again in the next general election.

Sajid Javid, who only this summer threw his hat in the ring to become the Prime Minister, said representing his constituency was “the privilege of my life and I am immensely grateful for the opportunity to serve.”

Bishop Auckland MP Dehenna Davison, who won the seat for the party for the very first time in 2019, said she would stand down to devote more time to her family.

And the 1922 Committee vice-chairman William Wragg, who heavily contested Boris Johnson over his conduct and publicly demanded Liz Truss’s resignation, will also be standing down.

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