A former Tory Party chairman has savaged Rishi Sunak’s decision to call an early election.
The former prime minister stunned Westminster when he called the July 4 poll six months earlier than he had to.
His decision fired the starting gun on what turned out to be a disastrous election campaign for the Conservatives, which ultimately led to one of the party’s worst ever results as Labour won a landslide.
Appearing on Times Radio on Thursday, Jake Berry - who was Tory chairman during Liz Truss’s brief time as PM - described Sunak’s decision as “one of the most stupid political misjudgements in the history of politics”.
He was speaking after new figures revealed immigration is coming down, largely as a result of tougher visa restrictions introduced by the last government.
Berry, who lost his Rossendale and Darwen seat at the election, said: “I think ... it proves to me is the fact the absolute idiocy of Rishi Sunak calling that early election.
“Everyone tells me what a clever man he is. I think he must have taken leave of his senses that day, if he ever had them in the first place, because we have had an interest rate cut, the economy is growing and immigration is coming down.
“It just will go down in history as one of the most stupid political misjudgements, political judgments, in the history of politics.”
“It will go down in history as one of the most stupid political misjudgments in the history of politics.”
— Times Radio (@TimesRadio) August 22, 2024
Former Conservative MP @JakeBerry says Rishi Sunak’s decision to call the election was “absolute idiocy.”
???? https://t.co/4roX6cU4zD#TimesRadio | @AyeshaHazarikapic.twitter.com/YlTygBAgjn
