Defiant Rishi Sunak laid down the gauntlet to rebellious MPs to unite over Conservative values as he insisted the result of the general election “isn’t a foregone conclusion”.
In a rallying cry to his increasingly fragmented party, the Prime Minister said he is determined to “fight incredibly hard” for every possible vote to defeat Labour.
Facing down backbench calls for the Tories to lurch to the right, Mr Sunak said cutting taxes, securing borders and making people safe are values which “unites all Conservatives.”
The forthright remarks came as the PM made his first public appearance since a bruising set of local election and mayoral results at the weekend.
Since then Mr Sunak has suggested the UK was on course for a hung Parliament.
Challenged over the prediction during a visit to a community centre in Islington on Monday, the Prime Minister told broadcasters: “The independent analysis shows that whilst of course this was a disappointing weekend for us, that the result of the next general election isn’t a foregone conclusion and indeed actually is closer than, or the situation is closer than, many people are saying or indeed some of the opinion polls are predicting.
“And that’s why I’m absolutely determined to fight incredibly hard for what I believe and for the future country that I want to build, and that’s what I’m going to do.
“Fight for this country, fight for the things I believe and deliver for everyone on the things that matter to them.”
Mr Sunak, who narrowly avoided being ousted by Tory rebels, has faced immense pressure from a number of MPs, notably former Home Secretary Suella Braverman, to move the party to the right to win back voters.
Asked about his divided party, Mr Sunak said it was time to unite behind core Tory values to take the election fight to Labour.
“What unites all members of our party, MPs and beyond, are our values as Conservatives and the type of country we want to build,” he said.
“And that is a country where hard work is rewarded and that’s why we believe in cutting people’s taxes and why we are reforming our welfare system to support people into work. “We believe in a migration system that’s fair, which is why migration is now being cut down to sustainable levels and we have got a clear plan to stop the boats which is being implemented.
“And we believe that people must feel safe which is why we’ve announced a significant increase in our defence.
“Those are the priorities of the country, those are the values of the Conservative party, that is the type of country I’m determined to build and that’s something that unites all conservatives.”
The Prime Minister is determined to get on the front foot after the weekend’s local election results, which saw his party unexpectedly lose the West Midlands mayoral race to Labour.
Speaking to The Times on Monday, Mr Sunak claimed Labour would fall short of enough seats to win power in a general election, saying voters would not want to see Sir Keir Starmer “propped up in Downing Street” by the SNP or smaller parties.
He pointed to Sky News analysis of the local election results which suggested Labour would be the largest party in a hung Parliament, though voters in national polls tend to behave differently, with fewer of them opting for smaller parties.
“Keir Starmer propped up in Downing Street by the SNP, Liberal Democrats and the Greens would be a disaster for Britain,” he said.
Despite wanting policy changes, Ms Braverman has said a change of leadership was not a “feasible prospect”, adding: “There is no superman or superwoman out there who can do it.”
Among the measures Ms Braverman has urged the Prime Minister to adopt to win back voters are further tax cuts and a cap on legal migration.
