Jeremy Hunt Claims Tories 'Cannot Rule Out Extinction' Following Local Election Losses

Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt delivers a speech in Westminster in London, Friday, May 17, 2024.Jeremy Hunt has admitted that the Conservatives “cannot rule out” going extinct following their local election defeat.Hunt, who was the Tory chancellor under Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss, and held other senior cabinet jobs under David Cameron and Theresa May, is now a backbencher.But the MP for Godalming and Ash did not hold back when talking about the way his own party – now led by Kemi Badenoch – is clearly struggling.Asked by Times Radio’s presenter Andrew Neil if the Tories were at risk of extinction, the Conservative MP said: “We can’t rule it out.“Look at the massive earthquake in Western democratic politics in other countries and we are seeing wild swings.”Then, rowing back slightly on his comments, he said: “I don’t think the Conservative Party will ever be extinct, but what may be extinct is the old two-party system that’s seen parties swing between one party and the other.“Certainly at the moment, voters seem to be split between five parties and that’s a very, very big change.”He continued: “I think it’s important not to exaggerate the woes of the Conservative Party.“We are less than a year after the heaviest defeat in our history, it’s very unlikely that, having kicked us out, voters are going to come running back to the Conservatives within just a matter of months.”The Tories were reduced to 121 MPs in July’s general election, losing 251 seats.Hunt, who has been in parliament for 20 years, held onto his constituency by just 891 votes with the Liberal Democrats snapping at his heels.He said the party needs to have a period of reflection and he predicts it will take “a few years” before the electorate gives the Tories “another look”.His remarks follow a staggering YouGov poll which should the Conservatives on their joint-lowest rating of just 17 points, tying with June 2019 at the height of the Brexit chaos.The Tories suffered major defeats in last week’s local elections, losing all 15 of the councils they were defending as right-wing rivals in Reform UK soared.Reform UK leader Nigel Farage even described it as the “beginning of the end for the Conservative Party”. “We can’t rule out” the possibility of the total extinction of the Conservative Party, @Jeremy_Hunt tells @AfNeil on #TimesRadio. pic.twitter.com/LFf7PaEEOd— Times Radio (@TimesRadio) May 7, 2025Related...Trump Gets Brutal Fact-Check From Conservatives As Markets Tank Due To TariffsTories Accused Of 'Dystopian' Attack On Trans CommunityLocal Elections 2025: Reform UK Sees Support Surge As It Leaves Labour And The Tories In Its Wake

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