Yesterday the Prime Minister and his Cabinet gathered at Chequers for a spot of truth-telling by Isaac Levido, their elections guru. There was to be no “sugarcoating” during Levido’s election strategy briefing, we were told. The presence at the large shiny mahogany table of the Conservatives’ embattled chairman Nadhim Zahawi will not have improved the mood — the stench of sleaze continues to grip the party. Indeed, it dominates the front page of the Tory bible The Spectator this week.
Their current troubles would have been made more poignant because photographic portraits of former prime ministers hang nearby. These include, we assume, Boris Johnson and Liz Truss, the latter a reminder of an economic car crash voters are unlikely to forget, while the former’s alleged misdeeds still appear on front pages. Against this backdrop — and the wider one in the country — Levido told ministers there was a “narrow” path to victory, despite Labour’s 20-point poll lead. It depends on whether they can deliver on the public’s priorities: crime, the NHS, the economy and illegal migrants crossing in small boats while also stopping the infighting.
