The Conservative Democratic Organisation is a grouping within the British Conservative Party. It is widely believed to be aligned with Boris Johnson.[1][2][3]
 | |
| Formation | October 2022 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Peter Cruddas |
President | Peter Cruddas |
Vice President | Stephen Greenhalgh |
Chairman | David Campbell Bannerman |
Parent organisation | Conservative Party |
The CDO was launched in December 2022, and is backed by the Conservative peer Lord Peter Cruddas.[4] Its website states that its mission is to "strengthen party democracy by ensuring the Conservative Party is representative of the membership and fairly represents their views",[5] and criticises the October 2022 leadership election process which led to the unopposed "coronation" of Rishi Sunak as Prime Minister.[6] The party was also critical of Sunak's dismissal of Suella Braverman as home secretary in the November 2023 cabinet reshuffle, calling it "political suicide".[7] The group explicitly includes non-Conservative members.[8]
The CDO's first public conference was held on 13 May 2023 in Bournemouth. Priti Patel, formerly Johnson's Home Secretary, gave a keynote address in which she blamed Conservative losses in the 2023 local elections on a disconnect between leadership and the party grassroots and lauded Johnson as a "vote-winning political giant" who she felt was unfairly removed from power by Conservative MPs.[2][9]
References edit
- ^ Walker, Peter; Crerar, Pippa (2023-05-12). "Tories demanding grassroots voice deny being a 'Johnson revivalist group'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-05-13.
- ^ a b Maddox, David (2023-05-12). "Patel to give damning indictment of Sunak leadership at pro-Boris conference". Express.co.uk. Retrieved 2023-05-13.
- ^ Gye, Hugo (2022-12-20). "Tory MPs fear Conservative Democratic Organisation is a front for Boris Johnson's return". inews.co.uk. Retrieved 2023-05-13.
- ^ "What is the new 'Conservative Democratic Organisation' campaign group?". www.indy100.com. December 12, 2022. Retrieved 2023-05-13.
- ^ "Conservative Democratic Organisation | Our Aims". www.conservativedems.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2023-05-13. Retrieved 2023-05-13.
- ^ "Conservative Democratic Organisation | Who We Are". www.conservativedems.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2023-05-13. Retrieved 2023-05-13.
- ^ "'Political suicide': Grassroots Tories' fury at Rishi Sunak after sacking Suella Braverman revealed in leaked WhatsApps". Sky News. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
- ^ "Rishi Sunak's speech woes are a conference sideshow as entryism takes centre stage in Manchester". Sky News. Retrieved 2023-10-06.
- ^ "Priti Patel: Tory leadership errors cost us dearly in local elections". BBC News. 2023-05-13. Retrieved 2023-05-13.
External links edit
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