DUP MP Jim Shannon: New Conservative leader must strengthen party's relationship with unionism

After a defeat at the ballot box earlier this month, ex-prime minister Rishi Sunak announced he would “step down as party leader, not immediately, but once the formal arrangements” are in place for a leadership battle.Those believed to be preparing leadership bids include former home secretary Suella Braverman, Tom Tugendhat, shadow communities secretary Kemi Badenoch, shadow home secretary James Cleverly, and former ministers Robert Jenrick and Dame Priti Patel.

Despite acknowledging it is not within his remit to tell the Conservatives who to choose as their new leader, Mr Shannon said whoever comes out on top must strengthen unionism.

“There are potentially some contenders who understand the unionist positions more than others maybe would,” he told the News Letter.

“I think whoever the leader will be, he or she, that the relationship with unionism has to be strengthened.

“To be fair I was quite critical of the Conservative party in the last term of government because they've done us over a number of times.

“What we need is a closer alignment with those who are committed to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

“The unionist position will be important and whoever that will be needs to take that on board as well.”

The Strangford MP also said the Conservatives have big decisions to make in how they see the future of the party after their crushing general election results.

He explained: “I watched Jeremy Hunt on BBC’s ‘Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg’ programme and he was saying they should move to the centre. Those are decisions that the Conservative party will have to make.

“I suppose they've got to weigh up how many seats they potentially lost to the Reform party, so do they move to the right to try and capture some of that, or do they move to the centre to try and capture which some of the Liberal Democrats took off them?

“I wouldn't suggest to them who they should pick as their leader but whoever they pick, we will have to try and work along with them whenever the opportunity arises as we are in the opposition as we always are.

“They are also in the opposition with greatly reduced numbers, so I think the big thing for them is how do they capture that ground? I personally think Labour will be in power for 10 years and I can't see it being anything different.

“I think the Conservatives have to be careful. Rishi (Sunak) in his King's Speech was quite careful in what he said, which was that in opposition you just don't oppose everything that happens – you challenge rather than oppose.”

Meanwhile, Tees Valley Mayor Lord Ben Houchen called on Ms Braverman to conduct the leadership contest “with civility” after she warned the party risks becoming “centrist cranks”.

Speaking to The Telegraph, she said: “If we don't recover the voters we deliberately, and arrogantly, spurned, we will turn the Conservative Party into the 21st century version of the 20th century Liberal Party.

“We can do better than being a collection of fanatical, irrelevant, centrist cranks, who make it our business to insult our should-be voters for not being as smug and self-righteous as we are.”

Lord Houchen was asked about this rhetoric on the Sky News ‘Sunday Morning With Trever Phillips’ show.

When questioned whether the party would benefit from hearing less from the former home secretary, Lord Houchen said: “If we want to spend the next two, three, four, five months fighting with each other that goes to the cause of the election defeat just two weeks ago and I would implore Suella, as well as every other leadership contender, to conduct this leadership contest with civility. Let's come together and let's offer a positive option to the country.”

The Tees Valley mayor also outlined his three priorities for Rishi Sunak's successor: “One, it shouldn't be about the past. It should be about what is the offering for this country in the future.

“Two, I think any leadership contender needs to rule out a partnership or a coalition or whatever relationship with Reform. They are a symptom of the problem. They are not the cause of the problem for the Conservative Party.

"The third point is that there shouldn't be any blue-on-blue attacks.”