Conservatives not close to recognising ‘how badly placed they are’, says Gauke

David Gauke: ‘First and foremost the Conservatives need to fight the next election on the economy,.’ Photograph: Anna Gordon/The Guardian

The Conservatives are “not close to recognising” how badly they are positioned for the next election, the former cabinet minister David Gauke has said.

Gauke, a former justice secretary who also worked in the Treasury under George Osborne, said many in the party were not willing to fully repudiate Liz Truss and Boris Johnson.