WILLIAM Hague has said that the Tories may never win another election if they lose the next one.
The former Tory leader described Tuesday’s Rwanda vote as an indication of its election chances.
Speaking to Times Radio, he said: “The Conservatives have come back every time in the past 200 years, but [there is] no guarantee. Politics will change a lot over the next 20, 30 years. The world will change a lot. And you’re just stepping off that change in the world and becoming a spectator at a crucial time if you go into opposition.
“There is no guarantee of coming back.”
Rishi Sunak has been involved in intensive efforts to persuade would-be rebels to back the legislation in a crunch Commons vote on Tuesday night, holding crisis meetings with the various factions in the Conservative Party as MPs considered their positions.
But as hardliners on the Tory right pushed for changes to toughen up the legislation by blocking interference from foreign courts, Cleverly suggested the legislation was already close to the limits of what would be possible.
Would-be rebels have warned Sunak that “major surgery” is still required to fix the flagship asylum legislation, with dozens of Conservatives thought to be prepared to either abstain or vote against it.
A revolt by 29 Conservative MPs could be enough to defeat the Safety of Rwanda Bill at its first Commons hurdle – something that has not happened to a piece of government legislation since 1986.
Hague said the Conservatives must “pull themselves together”, adding: “This is a really important day in British politics. That is an important pointer to the next general election.”
