There are many things the Conservative party needs to do before it is election fit – whether local or national. There’s securing a good Brexit deal, building more homes and repairing the damage done in the snap election – to name a few. As I write in today’s i paper, one of the big things brains at CCHQ are currently working on is firing up the party’s campaign machine. While the Tories don’t have a problem attracting party donors, they do have a problem getting people out door-knocking.
One of the many missteps Theresa May made last year was catching her own party’s campaign machine off guard with her decision to call a general election. The party was unsure how to campaign on the ground as a controversy over election spending limits and a bullying scandal in the party’s youth campaigning wing – Conservative Future – meant that the successful 2015 model of bussing young activists into marginal seat with the lure of curry and late night political positioning was off the agenda.
As a result, the party now has 48 seats with wafer-thin majorities of under 3,000.
Britain’s best politics newsletters
You get two free articles each week when you sign up to The Spectator’s emails.
Already a subscriber? Log in
Comments
Join the debate, free for a month
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first month free.
UNLOCK ACCESS Try a month freeAlready a subscriber? Log in