“The next CON leader will not be a white man” – Tory insider
Theresa May up 4% in ConHome party members’ next leader survey
The comment in the heading for this post was made to me at a recent social event by someone I regard as a leading Tory insider. It certainly has a ring of truth about it given that the two contenders currently being talked about are Theresa May and Sajid Javid, the culture Secretary.
This conversation took place before the latest ConHome findings from its regular party member surveys. Theresa May, as can be seen, is on the up and cabinet newcomer, Javid, is rated highly.
In national polling an area where the Tories and David Cameron are almost always rated poorly is when voters are asked about which party/leader will be “best for people like us“.
If the party has to leave government after May 7th then expect a lot of soul-searching over what went wrong and why, against someone perceived as being weak, Ed Miliband, they failed. It is in that context that May or Javid will stand a good chance.
Remember that the glory days for the party, the late seventies an eighties, the leader was a woman from a modest background.
Of course if David Cameron is still PM then there will be no immediate contest in prospect and Theresa May’s time will surely have passed. She is 58 years old.
Boris still leads the field in the Next CON leader betting. See chart. pic.twitter.com/UJn1bJa7UU
— Mike Smithson (@MSmithsonPB) December 10, 2014