CV NEWS FEED // Several years after expanding its government with a landslide win, the United Kingdom’s Conservative Party (popularly known as the “Tories”) is headed for a historic wipeout, polls show.
Writer and political analyst Nate Hochman believes the party’s recent embrace of mass immigration – unpopular with conservative voters – is to blame for the Tories’ predicted downfall.
“The British Conservatives rode the coattails of Brexit to historic majorities, and then promptly presided over the highest immigration levels in their small island nation’s history,” Hochman wrote on X (formerly Twitter) Saturday.
He noted that “42% of the U.K.’s total foreign-born population came in after 2010 — all under Conservative rule.”
“[A]ll signs point to an extinction event for the Tories in this year’s election — almost entirely because of this issue,” he wrote, adding: “It’s difficult to think of another time in recent history when an electoral wipeout was more richly deserved.”
The push for laws censoring speech deemed “hate speech” and lenient migration policies are “inextricably connected,” according to Hochman. He noted that in addition to the Tories, other political parties across Western nations who claim to be “center-right” have pushed for both.
The analyst added:
If you’re arguing that there are also other reasons for the Tory failure: Yeah, obviously. If you’re arguing that immigration — arguably the biggest issue in UK politics right now — isn’t going to be a major factor in the upcoming Tory wipeout: No, wrong.
Hochman went on to cite a February Ipsos poll of British voters. The survey showed that 40% of respondents were “very dissatisfied” with the “way the current [Tory] government is dealing with immigration.”
An additional 29% said they were “fairly dissatisfied.” Only 7% of respondents indicated that they were “fairly satisfied” and a minuscule 2% said they were “very satisfied.”
By contrast, in March 2020, 15% of respondents indicated they were “very dissatisfied” and 26% said they were “fairly dissatisfied.”
The Tories have been in control of the British government since 2010. In the 14 years since, a succession of five prime ministers led the party: David Cameron, Theresa May, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, and current Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
Of the five, Cameron had the longest tenure as prime minister, serving for six years from 2010 to 2016, when he abruptly resigned following the UK’s vote to leave the United Kingdom (popularly referred to as “Brexit”).
Cameron returned last year to the British government following a long absence. He is currently serving as Foreign Secretary in the Sunak Ministry.
Cameron’s successors, Theresa May and Boris Johnson, both governed for just over three years each.
Also last year, Truss became the shortest-serving prime minister in British history – having only served 50 days in the role.
