Ding, ding, ding! The latest round of fighting has just concluded in the weird and wonderful world of Tory WhatsApp groups. In a series of messages obtained by Sky News, various backbenchers turn on each another in the ongoing fall-out from Suella Braverman’s row with the Metropolitan Police. Some were supportive; others critical but one thing is for sure – none of them are very happy.
Veteran right-winger Sir John Hayes kicked off the exchange by declaring that it was ‘so sad to see protests being allowed on the Remembrance weekend’, arguing that it was ‘wholly inappropriate’ and urging colleagues to ‘speak for the law-abiding, patriotic majority by saying so’. Others then weighed in. Karl McCartney attacked Bob Neill for going public with his criticism of Braverman, saying he would be getting Christmas cards from Yvette Cooper, her opposite number. He was joined by Danny Kruger, who backed Braverman’s right to criticise the Met’s operations. He said that it was no longer enough to have a ‘quiet word’ with the police when there were issues and instead advocated for ‘proper challenge’.
Their support was countered by others in the group. Jackie Doyle-Price suggested that her fellow Conservatives respect the right to protest, adding that ‘colleagues making noise about them are simply advertising them and make them bigger as a consequence.’ Her veteran colleague Sir Bernard Jenkin meanwhile asked if he was the only one ‘who thinks it is it most unfortunate that the chief of Met Police is being placed under pressure from the government, which threatens to compromise public confidence in his operational independence?’ The row has rumbled on throughout the last 24 hours before, inevitably, being leaked. This was, er, in spite of a warning not to conduct the discussion on WhatsApp because ‘some colleagues are untrustworthy disgraceful leakers.’
Best message of the day though has to go to Will Wragg, the baby-faced Boris-basher, who declared ‘I’ve had enough of this rubbish’ on the group chat. If the Tories carry on this way for another 12 months, Steerpike suspects the electorate will say the same on polling day…
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