More Conservative MPs to defect predicts Gyles Brandreth: ‘They don’t feel loved’

“The people who are disaffected and who do jump ship, it’s because they don’t feel loved enough, they don’t feel wooed enough, they don’t see the future.”
Gyles Brandreth, broadcaster and former Conservative MP, tells Matt Chorley the recent Conservative defections to Labour are “the beginning of a little stream” of more to come.
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[@TheSuperPsychoKiller]

What’s there to love? The corruption or the neglect?

[@billkingston4402]

Bless their little cotton socks, hard to love when the country is a complete mess

[@malcolmmitchell6529]

MINIMAN YOOTYOOB!!

[@hilaryjohnson2386]

And they are a bunch of barstools.

[@LordOfLight]

Brandreth is what's called a "clever fool". The inevitable consequence of a comfy life.

[@dj_cakes]

such a plonker

[@FranzBieberkopf]

He published diaries of his time as an MP 1992-97. He's more insightful than you'd think.

[@linndrumfan1959]

​@@FranzBieberkopfGood to know.

[@Yossarian_Lives73]

Cameron, elder statesman??? He dry bummed the country then left to put up his trotters!!

[@shaun906]

love the trotters comment, classic!

[@claudioricci1]

I’ve never heard it put better

[@rustynail1194]

It's cos that's all they have. They see the disasters of Bojo, May, Truss and Sunak and think, oh but Cameron was OK wasn't he? No he wasn't. They forgot what he did, they forgot how much of a coward he was, backing down to the ERG and UKIP. And as you say, ran off after the referendum result.

[@chickenbites8877]

Austerity NEVER ends well, I don’t know why people vote for it.

[@matthewn1805]

Its people fooled by the rhetoric put forward by the Tories that government finances are the same as domestic finances when in reality they are very different.

[@jameshealey6535]

They don't feel loved? No surprise, but I guess they are aware enough to feel loathed, despised, reviled, hated?

[@locke230]

The Tories have never come back really from 97, 14 years, and their achievements have been very scant.

[@sfactory8253]

Apart from Boris and brexit they havent win a large majority since 1987.

[@shaun906]

there's nowhere else to fall when they hit the bottom after thatcher?

[@locke230]

@@sfactory8253 that is very true but Boris is a proven liar and unfortunately, Brexlt has been a total disaster, not much achievement there

[@pip1723]

Brexit I wouldn't class that as an achievement as all the brexit promises made are in the bin.

[@FranzBieberkopf]

@@pip1723 Yeah, Brexit is a disaster, not an achievement.

[@pip1723]

14 year's and the country is a wreck what do they expect ?

[@gm9460]

And yet the “workaholic” is not really doing anything to try and fix it and has no plan

[@mup_pet]

And then Labour come back in, build it all up again and then.... rinse and repeat. What a shell game it is.

[@kevinjackson6387]

@@mup_petlabour started it off before the Tory’s finished it off with Blair not just the last 14 years .people have short memories

[@mup_pet]

@@kevinjackson6387 No, it's just some of us actually look at the data rather than taking at face value what the media tell us to think (gaslighting).

[@phillipc3286]

Don't underestimate how the people hate the Tories

[@matthewn1805]

The corrupt nasty greedy party, what's to like?

[@Dingbat-tb5wz]

He's dead right about John Major: he WAS a good man trying to do his best, and for this he was called a "grey man". He was in fact the only PM I can think of who genuinely gave a toss about the ordinary man, and for this reason introduced the Citizen Charter to give Joe Bloggs a counter-balance against a powerful Civil Service. Of course as soon as Major was out the CC faded away because no one cared a jot about citizens' rights. I'm a Labour voter btw.

[@davidjames2083]

*This is easily the most entertaining interview you lot have done in weeks and weeks Matt, and I'm a Welsh Valleys communist. Cheers!* 👍😊🍺

[@thinkingbig2280]

Nor do the Disabled.

[@bradwhiteuk]

Nor those suffering MH issues. Nor those trying to get onto the property ladder. Nor those wanting clean water piped into their homes. Nor those wanting to send their children to structurally-sound schools. Nor those having to go hungry in order to feed their kids. Nor those who rely on the rail network. Nor those who need dental, doctor, or hospital appointments. And that's not even close to a comprehensive list of the damage this government has caused or overseen.

[@adrianbrown527]

Exactly right they have to go

[@davejones2394]

They should be made to resign their seat and let the people decide if they want a change of party. They answer to the electorate not the other way round.

[@RobBCactive]

Your logic based on very many voters, voting for the PM, means the Conservatives should have answered to the electorate years ago. Instead they've tried gaslighting everyone and continued with delusional lie after lie.

[@ianworley8169]

Should that stand for a change of PM too? Who voted for Truss as PM? Sunak couldn't even get his own Party members to vote for him. You're absolutely right though. Anyone resigning their party whip, should automatically trigger a by-election. Using that same logic, whenever an elected PM is toppled, that should trigger a General Election after the party in office elects a new leader. And please don't roll out the hackneyed response that the electorate vote a party into power. We all know we vote for a Leader to head that party.

[@richardruff8712]

@@ianworley8169 Yes, I think that we, the people, are finally realising that, when we put our ' X ' on the ballot paper, we are NOT voting for a party, we are voting for a particular PERSON ( who just happens to represent a specific party, at that moment in time )... But that there is NOTHING to stop that MP from switching to another party, at any time during the next 5 years... It all seems very odd... But, of course, our MP's are VERY odd !

[@pgs1796]

They'd be utterly mental to defect now, nobody likes a turncoat. The Tories are going down and I am very pleased about that.

[@DS9TREK]

But things can work out. Churchill switched to the Liberals and became chancellor. Later he switched back to the Tories and became prime minister. "Political parties are like horses, you ride whichever one will take you to victory", he said.

[@pgs1796]

@@DS9TREK That was then, this is now.

[@searchingfortruth4783]

Scandals involving little boys spring to mind.

[@spud95128]

Unloved is a polite way of putting it 😂

[@rustynail1194]

Won't someone please think of the tories 😂 😂 😂 😂

[@tt-ew7rx]

Whilst the Tories are worrying about not being loved, I know people who have to sustain toothaches with painkillers during work because even private dental care now has long waiting lists, and a student of mine is about to be running out of medication because they cannot afford the extortionary fees needed to see a psychiatrist on time. Both the dentists and the psychiatrists are saying this state of affairs will certainly improve in a few months' time, but will that be too late for my student? I used to, as most people who are not bothered by health issues directly, think about the Tories in the abstract. Now I think of them in relation to the experiences of those I know. How can I love them? How is that even possible? I notice that the consultant psychiatrist among them has left the party - I fully support him and wish him well.

[@davidjames2083]

⚠ *Rishi had best take heed, Gyles' predictions are better than Mystic Meg's!* 🧟‍♀

[@11000038]

And now a party political broadcast on behalf of the Gyles Brandreth party......

[@grahamcampbell8297]

I do enjoy listening to Gyles Brandreth

[@hilaryjohnson2386]

Why?

[@IB4theAIB]

Fascinating and very enjoyable.

[@user-un9wj6jg1x]

The Lard Cameron reportedly has a personal fortune of £43m of which £10m appeared this year. His annual payment from public funds of c£117k per year for life, for being a (failed) PM, would alone satisfy the needs of many - but greed is part of the tory psyche. Truss gets the same, despite wrecking what was left of the economy after the tory disaster called brexshit.

[@SJC11116]

£43 million. That’s only a million more than his £42 million luxury jet charter cost.

[@Emchisti]

This man is truly insufferable.

[@beverleybrooks8247]

They only have themselves to blame!

[@frankcarter6427]

the Tories hope Tezza Coffey crosses the house so they get away from the smell

[@ronaldchives2486]

Hahaha

[@gjthomas9770]

I met the G man in London Oxford Street 1999. He's one posh gi7 . Nice bloke. Friendly

[@ML-xh1go]

Not fit to be in parliament in the first place “ They Don’t Feel Loved”, wake up you were not put in there to be loved but to do your job and represent your constituents, which you have failed miserably to do. so good riddance

[@kenbushnell4793]

Tories not wanted

[@JoeWedgwood-ik9zo]

Oh golly gosh, a single tear roles down my cheek 😂

[@richardcory5024]

"Unloved" doesn't do it::"hated" comes close, and give a shout to "despised."

[@jsd8981]

I dont blame them, i woulden't want to be a tory M.P. specially after the next General Election, i would have thought sunak would have let his party leave at least with some dignity but it seem's not, looks like he intends to dragg those who does stay with him into the abyss with him...

[@sfactory8253]

Sunaks family finances are more important to him. I bet this gets deleted.

[@stephenwill4852]

Really enjoyed this, thank you.

[@stephenhardy312]

Being 'cut'; sounds like Victorian "cancel culture"!

[@chrisbutcher6670]

Humanities reign as the dominant species is fast coming to an end. Vote for whoever you want, it'll bring the same result.

[@Dragonsitter]

Great

[@MrAdamGrainger]

I didn’t realise Gyles Brandreth was a party whip. I always imagined whips to have more of the martinet about them.

[@Rancid-wd3ty]

Unloved? Pure hatred from me.

[@Marklovesdrama]

Brilliant story about the monastery 😂

[@sfactory8253]

We don't want them !!!!

[@StratsRUs]

Gyles must be on some list

[@howardgayton2127]

CAn we just have a General Election.

[@davidwilliams4391]

Gyles, don't make a fool of your self, its game over for crying out loud. Please, just take the hands of your friends and go away

[@diverguy3556]

Oh yeah, Gyles Brandreth, that well known political mastermind!

[@johnpoile1451]

Thatcher fan boy.

[@derekrobinson5554]

Who's fault is that

[@user-cf3cr8ki7e]

Bad omen of Rishi sunak strikes on Junk party =Nasty Tories

[@slightlyconfused876]

Entertainingly told tripe. Anyone who tries to pretend that Sunak is anything other than a political inept is foolingeither himself or the listeners.

[@SP-eo1vl]

Daughter called Aphra - is that after Aphra Behn? If so, what a wonderful choice.

[@sirrodneyffing1]

Loved, woowed, overlooked, blandishments, promotion . What a sad, based and degenerate set of values to run a national government on. These main party's are void of principles..get rid of them.

[@DC.409]

Gyles Brandreth’s daughter is the Conservative candidate for my area Chester South and Eddisbury seat, historically she should be a shoo-in for the seat. However according to the latest local analysis it’s a tight call. Quote “The Conservative candidate hails from South London, has just opened a vets business with her husband there, and lost the Kingston and Surbiton seat for the Conservatives at the General election in 2019 and her seat on the Richmond Council in 2022. The Labour candidate has lived in Manchester for 30 years but in her day job has worked extensively on environmental projects in Cheshire, and has just picked up a national environment and sustainability pioneer award for her work in cutting emissions and encouraging more use of low-carbon forms of transport. Clearly, a Conservative MP is not a shoo-in and some may be tempted to vote tactically making life difficult for the Tories.” Noticeably from the literature received to-date, locally they have adopted the Grant Shapps mantra, of “promote yourself not the Conservative Party”.

[@richardruff8712]

I don't think there is a ' safe ' Tory seat any more... I would guess that a 20,000 majority is now a ' dodgy ' situation for EVERY Tory MP....

[@jackdubz4247]

Let them go to the Lib Dems, Reform UK Ltd, or stand as Independents. Labour doesn't need any more of Sunak's useless trash. Elphicke is enough.

[@ansfridaeyowulfsdottir8095]

But Labour needs those voters to vote Labour. That's why they let Elphicke in. {:o:O:}

[@michaeloleary2248]

Alan Howarth stole my umbrella.

[@dogkicker100]

they now got big mortgages with yrs to pay and we are the mugs paying their wages , bye bye torys

[@archiemcberry7102]

What a mess. The choice is Starmer or Sunak. Where are the real leaders?

[@pip1723]

I'll be backing starmer 100% .

[@richardruff8712]

Shouldn't the question be.... Who is likely to do the LEAST damage to us ?

[@peteratkin3788]

Brought the book thanks, that been said , seems Gyles is looking at the conservative with rose tinted glasses, however very informative informative

[@LewisSkeeter]

He's a wonderful, amusing gossip and chatterbox. A gift at a dinner party, I would imagine.

[@sfactory8253]

Don't like him. Not as funny as he thinks he is.

[@mup_pet]

@@sfactory8253 He's not funny at all, not in the slightest.

[@DS9TREK]

He's a wonderful after dinner speaker

[@tonyaustin4472]

Not at any dinner I’d be inclined to go to! Effeminate man at their very worst lol

[@richardruff8712]

@@DS9TREK Probably as the guests are walking out ?

[@chrishobson6431]

Awwww poor tory mps

[@neilw.3012]

Times Radio has the crown of being the most pretentious radio station in the UK.

[@mathieuleader8601]

Calling it Gove will be one who could likely cross

[@richardruff8712]

Don't know... Even Labour might not want Gove...!

[@malcolmmitchell6529]

Minimal has to have a slogan, this time it's a " think tank" what a typically inane phrase.

[@user-xb9wb8sc9l]

The Tories failed to create a vision for the country and where they wanted to end up as a party.

[@gerryman4589]

I can just about forgive gyles his passed as a tory mp can't say the same of portillo

[@ThomasGriffin-ui6bv]

Razor

[@Clubberdude-sp1gw]

@04:30 Nice, but taxpayers money pays for all these games. Many taxpayers couldn't afford trips to the West Indies, sure they will love the fact that all this money is being used to bribe unhappy MP's.

[@kevin02mulder]

john major did a bit of a coverup just because he couldn't handle it. it keeps being an interesting story with many victims

[@Gothic55]

Gyles Brandreth is everything that the current Tories are not - gentle, amusing and decent…..

[@stupidburp]

Join the free trade group in North America. Much less hassle than being in the EU. Recover back about half of the economic growth lost by Brexit in the short term while keeping full sovereignty and independence. Seems like something that would be quite popular and politically feasible.

[@BrianV-ie4mw]

Import GM tomatoes and lettuces from the US? How fresh and welcome will that be? Will our farmers compete on equal terms with US concrete tower block dairies? Will our factory workers need to start competing on equal terms with US employees? Seen their health and holiday rights? Less hassle for those who wish to drop standards.

[@Brusselpicker]

I really want to eat chlorinated chicken and steroid injected beef.

[@stupidburp]

Import rules can be the same as those for inside the country. If an exporter wants to use the market of a free market partner they can be required to meet all regulations of the destination market. They just don't have to pay any tariffs. UK agricultural products could likewise use the large consumer market in the US with the same restrictions.

[@stupidburp]

@@BrianV-ie4mw UK workers have an advantage over US workers because of universal health care managed at the government level. US companies subsidize a large portion of the health care costs of their employees which is less efficient and increases overall costs to do business compared with UK companies.

[@BrianV-ie4mw]

@@stupidburp Agreed that the US health system is expensive and inefficient. It is also true that employers pay for employees health care, right up until they have a chronic or expensive condition, when they are often "let go". The overall cost to employers is maybe not as you suggest.

[@adampowell5376]

I would like to go out with Gyles Brandreth for a drink. I think he would be good company but I find his description of his colleagues pathetic. What sort of person would change political party on the grounds that they feel unloved? What sort of example is that setting? Should I quit my job on the grounds of feeling unloved?

[@richardruff8712]

You can quit if you want to... But, when applying for a new job, you may have to give your current employer as a character reference ?... Possible problem ?

[@adampowell5376]

@@richardruff8712 As it happens I feel loved so when I move on that will not be part of my calculation but for a Tory MP references are not needed. Their career is in the public domain.

[@richardruff8712]

@@adampowell5376 Who knows... If the latest gossip from Downing Street is true, we may be getting our much-needed GE in July ?

[@adampowell5376]

@@richardruff8712 I don't believe everything I hear in the "gossip columns".

[@richardruff8712]

@@adampowell5376 Ah.... So you do believe ALMOST every bit of gossip in the columns then ?

[@Rich-ng3yy]

No one said the Tories were finnished, they said they wouldn't hold power for a long time. Which was exactly what happened. Nothing changes. Real change is rare. You wouldn't go back to the 90's and feel it was vastly different to now. Any time traveller from the 90's to now would expect more change than there has been. Not even a transient thing with superficial changes like fashion has changed much. You could look at a picture in the 60's and guess the year by the fashions. It is not an incongruity that Westminster might not have changed much.

[@kenbushnell4793]

Weak leadership, poor economic management and Brexit have dragged Britain out of the top 10 countries in a global index on good government. The decline of Britain under the Tories has been charted by the Chandler Global Index for Good Government (CGGI) which saw it take 11th place. At a time when Rishi Sunak has been under siege from his own try MPs, the UK’s place on the annual list was made worse by scores for “leadership and foresight” putting it in 20th place. It was also hit by coming 27th in “financial stewardship”. The findings come amid a report of an exodus by companies from the City of London.

[@roysimpson9711]

Vote Reform but no ex Tories

[@johnpoile1451]

Lee Anderson now Reform?

[@johnpoile1451]

Lee Anderson and his amazing technicolour turncoat.

[@johnpoile1451]

This is too easy.

[@Geffo555]

@@johnpoile1451 Love it. Though I can't see Lloyd Webber staging an adaption.