The most important vote in your political career
I am honoured to have been a member of the Conservative Party for forty years and am proud of my voting record, I have never voted against my party. To hear Conservative Ministers and MPs threaten to vote down a Queen’s speech and usher in a Corbyn/McDonell government shocked me to my core.
The EU elections show the frightening level of discontent amongst the public regarding the failure of a Conservative government to deliver what they voted for and what we promised to do.The rise of the Brexit Party could usher in a rabid socialist Government, the likes of which we have never experienced, which would do untold damage to the social fabric of our nation.
Jeremy Hunt thinks outside the box and his vision for the country on an international stage is explicit. Michael Gove has proved himself to be innovative in both Education and Environment. Dominic Raab’s legal mind is an asset to negotiations with the EU and his fortitude reminds me of a certain woman I used to know. What a wealth of talent.
However, you will forgive me for thinking in terms of a General Election; it is my strong view that the only person who can halt an impending disaster for our country is Boris Johnson.
The greatest threat to our economy is not Brexit. It is a Corbyn/McDonell government that will waste money on nationalisation that is better spent on services and which, through its minimum wage fiasco, will see unemployment rise, particularly amongst the young. The wealth flight that has already begun will gather force as we move into an inevitable ‘brain drain’.
If you do not know this Labour party is more economically damaging to our country than Brexit, I suggest you spend some time looking at what Margaret Thatcher inherited and at the hard work we had to do to restore our country’s fortunes.
Over 40 years ago I persuaded the nation to overlook their gender reservations and listen to what a woman had to say. The country was in crisis and took that leap of faith.
Today our party is in crisis and it is my strong belief that Boris is the only person who can deliver a meaningful Brexit, neutralise the Brexit Party and take on this ‘Labour’ party and win. He reaches parts of the electorate that other candidates cannot reach.
But this is not just my view. I commissioned YouGov to poll a representative sample of the British voting public in the immediate aftermath of the EU elections as to which party they would vote for, depending on which of the five leading contenders was Conservative Party leader (conducted on a randomised basis, so no bias from who was first on the list).
The YouGov poll on the front page of the Times on Friday showed voting intentions in a General Election for the Conservative Party down to a paltry 19, putting us in 3rd place, behind both the Lib Dems and Brexit Party.
But in my poll (using the same panel, on the same dates), when Boris is named as the leader, our vote benefits from the ‘Boris Bounce’, surging to 29% and putting the Conservative Party back in top place.
As you can see no other contender comes close to Boris to delivering a significant lead over Labour:
w/ Boris Johnson – CON 29%, LAB 22%, LDEM 22%, BREX 13%
w/ Sajid Javid – CON 22%, LAB 21%, LDEM 22%, BREX 20%
w/ Michael Gove – CON 20%, LAB 22%, LDEM 22%, BREX 20%
w/ Jeremy Hunt – CON 21%, LAB 21%, LDEM 22%, BREX 21%
w/ Dominic Raab – CON 24%, LAB 21%, LDEM 22%, BREX 17%
The Conservative Party has to win the next election to save the country from disaster and it is for this reason I am urging you, and every Conservative MP, to put aside any reservations and make sure Boris gets to the final two in the ballot.
It is my belief he could lead the Party not just for the next few years, but with a unified, strong party and cabinet he could keep Conservatives in government for the next ten.
We have seen what happens when the Party votes for someone who cannot speak to the people, does not listen and who does not believe in what they are trying to achieve. It is imperative we do not make that same mistake again.
Do what you know is right.
Tim Bell
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