Has Rishi Sunak fallen out of love with Tory members? When he fought Liz Truss for the party leadership last summer, he called them the “bedrock” of the party. In an open letter of August 2022, Sunak promised to “make significant reforms to empower our members” if he became prime minister. His main pledge was a monthly survey of members. Their top three concerns each month would be discussed at Cabinet meetings, he said.
He also promised free tours of Conservative Campaign Headquarters (CCHQ) for local association chairs. Neither pledge has materialised. A spokesperson for CCHQ said: “The Prime Minister is working with CCHQ and the wider party to get election-ready.” Meanwhile, not all Tory members seem happy about being sidelined. The Conservative Democratic Organisation, a pressure group fighting to “take back control” of the party, has grassroots support.
