Here’s the full transcript from Andrew Neil’s interview with Graham Brady, the chair of the 1922 committee, on the Sunday Politics show:
AN: Graham Brady, you think Mrs May should soldier on, why?
GB: Well, there’s no other party that is in a position to form a government. Clearly these aren’t the circumstances that either the Prime Minister or I or any of my colleagues would have wanted to be dealing with at the moment but they are the circumstances the electorate has presented us with and I think it’s our duty to make the best of that. It’s our duty to try to offer a government as resilient as it can be in quite difficult times.
AN: But, is she ever going to be more than a caretaker leader now?
GB: Well, I think one of the odd things about the experience of the last 12 months is that Theresa May, I think, has performed very well as prime minister and the public rather liked her as prime minister. I think few people would say that the campaign succeeded in projecting her qualities as strongly as it could and should have done. So, as we return to government, albeit in difficult circumstances, and dependent on support from other parties, I think we will see people once again seeing the steady, calm, thoughtful Theresa May as prime minister.
AN: Do you fear that a leadership election might lead to a second general election and that prospect terrifies you, doesn’t it?
GB: I’m not sitting here terrified, Andrew. But I think that there is zero appetite amongst the public for another general election at the moment and I don’t detect any great appetite amongst my colleagues for presenting the public with a massive additional dose of uncertainty by getting involved in a rather self-indulgent Conservative Party internal election campaign.
AN: That’s because they’re frightened they might lose, that’s why they don’t want another election?
GB: I have a slightly higher view of my colleagues than perhaps you do, Andrew. I think most of us are motivated by a belief in the national interest and are responsible people who want to try to offer that responsible, steady government, especially at this point as we know it’s just a matter of days until those important negotiations on leaving the European Union begin. It’s a time when we need experience, it’s a time when we need responsible people in government and I think it’s our duty to try to offer that.
AN: Many Tories have said to me, some pretty senior, that Mrs May must never be allowed to lead your party into another general election. Do you agree with that?
GB: No, I don’t agree with that. I think these are judgements that are made, will be made in the fullness of time by the prime minister and obviously be colleagues as is always the case with any prime minister, any leader of the party. But at the moment we are, I think, resolutely focused on trying to make sure that the country can have the responsible, steady government that it really needs at this point. And that should be our focus too.
AN: In what way should Mrs May change?
GB: I think there are all sorts of lessons that we can pick up from the campaign, from the reaction to it, even from the thing that surprised perhaps most of us most especially: the way in which Jeremy Corbyn, despite all his manifest failings and particularly his extreme political views, was able to present himself in a sort of avuncular way.
AN: I didn’t ask about Mr Corbyn, I asked in what was should the prime minister change?
GB: I’m saying I think there are some lessons there. I think in terms of relaxing a little bit into communicating with the electorate, it’s somethings she does very well in person, I think, increasingly so since she became prime minister. But that wasn’t coming across…
AN: That’s not the experience of the campaign, Graham Brady, the more people saw of her, the more they didn’t like the cut of her jib.
GB: That’s exactly what I was going to go on to say. That didn’t communicate in the campaign and that’s something that clearly needs to communicate. But also, I think there’s no doubt we need to see a much more open and inclusive approach within government, within parliament as well and, you know, that’s not just a kind of desirable outcome which I think always would have been desirable and I’ve had this conversation with previous prime ministers as well. It’s an absolute necessity in these circumstances. Trying to make a hung parliament, a minority government work, I think really requires a much more inclusive approach; bringing people into the decision-making process.
AN: Well are you being brought into the decision-making process on the deal that’s being done with the DUP?
GB: Well, one of the things I’ve said to the prime minister, I think it’s very important she speaks to colleagues as soon as possible. We were going to have a meeting of the 1922 Committee on Tuesday, I’m hoping to bring that forward to tomorrow now so that she can come and talk to colleagues about that deal.
AN: But are you being involved… as the chief shop steward for Tory backbenchers, are you involved in this more inclusive process or not?
GB: I’m not on a negotiating team but I saw the prime minister very early after the election had taken place, I went down to London on Friday afternoon and met with her and we had a very full discussion about all sorts of things that need to be addressed over the coming days and weeks.
AN: When Mrs May spoke in Downing Street after she had gone to see the Queen, there was yet another robotic performance that didn’t even express any regret for the Tories that had lost. You had to intervene to get her to make a second statement, didn’t you?
GB: No, I’ve seen that reported. I don’t think it’s accurate. She was already going to give the interview that she gave shortly afterwards.
AN: You urged her to do so?
GB: She was already scheduled to give that interview. I happened to see her in-between the statement and the interview and certainly one of the things I was keen to press home is that, in the past, I think the Conservative Party has been very poor in its communication with colleagues who’ve lost their seats at a general election. That’s something that none of my colleagues likes to see, so I certainly did say that I think it’s very important that we do better this time.
AN: What bits of the manifesto will you now have to junk for the Queen’s Speech in a week’s time?
GB: That is going to be a very interesting process to witness. I don’t think it will just be the Queen’s Speech, it’s going to be the whole experience of government in the circumstances of minority government. There’s no point in sailing ahead with items that were in the manifesto which we won’t get through parliament. So I think we’re going to have to work very carefully. I’ve no doubt it will be a slimmed down Queen’s Speech and we should concentrate on the things that really have to be done.
AN: So, tell me which bits are you going to have to junk? A new social care policy, back to the triple-lock for pensioners and no grammar schools, how about that?
GB: Well obviously as you know, Andrew, I would be upset if we couldn’t make any progress on allowing people to have the choice of grammar schools if they want it.
AN: But are you prepared to drop it?
GB: Well, of course reality asserts itself. If we can’t get things through parliament, we can’t do them. So, I certainly would suggest that we could look, for instance, at a rather modest sort of pilot looking at opening some state grammar schools in inner-urban areas especially where education at the moment is not offering great opportunities to people of lower income backgrounds. I think that’s something that would command quite broad support. I even hear from friends on the Labour benches, quietly usually, that they would quite like to see that kind of approach taken. So, I hope we won’t have to stop altogether but it’s certain we’re going to have to trim our policies carefully according to what we think parliament will support.
AN: Ok, Graham Brady in Salford. Thanks for that.
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