Episode details
Radio 4,13 Dec 2022,28 mins
What’s a Tory?
Available for over a year
In just three years since Boris Johnson’s landslide election victory in 2019, the Conservative party has descended into turmoil and division. After months of turbulence, the UK’s historically most successful party faces a challenging winter, with polls suggesting it’s headed for defeat at the next election. Lewis Goodall talks to insiders and party figures about the ideological tensions underlying the party’s struggles. Why has the party burned through so many prime minsters in 12 years? Why are Conservatives so divided about the post-Brexit future? Why are there such wrangles over issues like housing and planning? What do Conservatives stand for and who are they for? Guests include former Cabinet ministers William Waldegrave, David Gauke and David Frost, historians Florence Sutcliffe-Braithwaite and Robert Saunders and activists in key battleground seats. Producer: Leala Padmanabhan
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