10 Oct Tories have split into three different competing parties, says Peter Mandelson
THE Conservatives have effectively split into three different parties and are behaving as if they have already lost the election, according to Lord Peter Mandelson.
Labour’s former director of communications told GB News: “They’re all like three different parties fighting each other as if they’re already in opposition.
“You’ve got the centre right Conservative Party, which you associate with David Cameron, you’ve got the right wing, which is headed up by Rishi Sunak, and then you’ve got the further right Conservative Party, sort of, trumpeted and supported by GB News.
“I want GB News to keep going. They’re stirring the pot, they’re creating divisions in the Conservative Party, undoing the Conservative Party and very, very timely it is to.”
In a discussion with Andrew Pierce and Christopher Hope, he said the party had changed since Sir Keir Starmer replaced Jeremy Corbyn as leader.
He said: “I think the bulk miss government every single day, there’s still that sort of small minority who prefer to be protesting in the streets. My word, they’re a very small minority.”
Asked if it felt like the conference in 1992 when Neil Kinnock was leader or the 1997 general election which saw Tony Blair swept to power, he said: “Certainly not 91/92, nothing like it.
“Two reasons. In 92, Labour wasn’t ready. We hadn’t changed enough. We hadn’t won back people’s confidence. Also in 92, the Conservatives was still a fairly united fighting force under John Major.
“Chris Patten was the party chair who was running a pretty good machine. He had a Cabinet that was still hungry for power. Not now, not with these people, with Rishi Sunak.”
On Sir Keir Starmer, he said: “He’s the nearest thing to Tony Blair of any leader of the Labour Party since Blair. He’s a mainstream politician. He’s completely in touch with and connected with what people are thinking in the country.
“He’s totally committed to restarting the economy and he’s not wobbly on defence and national security. That’s what people want to see from a Prime Minister.
“They saw it in Blair, big celebrity, big box office. Keir Starmer’s not the same as Blair but as I’ve said, he’s the nearest thing to Blair of any leader since Blair. That’s my view.”
