Conservative peers have warned personal attacks during the leadership race risks the return of the ‘nasty party’ label for the Tories.
The contest between Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss has resulted in jeers about each other’s outfits and upbringing during last night’s BBC debate, leading to “embarrassing” and divisive politics.
Lord Fowler, who served under Margaret Thatcher, warned that the candidates’ rows will once again give the Tories a reputation of being the “nasty party”- as they were referred to in the 1980s under John Major.
“If I was to advise the Conservative Party to remember one thing it’s that a divided party simply doesn’t get elected,” he said speaking toThe Times.
Lord Maude of Horsham, a formerTory chairman, told BBC Radio 4: “One is obviously going to win the leadership, but if the behaviour of the teams and their language has been uncontrolled, and it has damaged the party’s standing or the way people see the party, then it could end up being a pyrrhic victory.”
