Mel Stride calls for new Conservative leader

One of the few surviving former Conservative cabinet ministers has said the party needs a new leader.

Mel Stride clung on to his Central Devon seat by just 61 votes following a recount but said the party had experienced a "very painful and significant defeat".

When asked if Rishi Sunak could continue as leader of the Conservative Party he said: "I think that’s for him to make that judgment.

"I think it’s fairly clear that there will need now to be a new leader of the party going forward."

The outgoing Work and Pensions Secretary told the BBC: “There’s a clear message that we received from the public.

"We now need to go away and rebuild our party and think long and deeply about what has happened over the last 24 hours and get ourselves back in a position where we are the natural party of government.

"But that is going to take time."

Mr Stride said he was "not going to get into dissecting" who was to blame for the party’s performance but said "clearly there have been mistakes that have been made".

Mr Stride said there had been challenges "beyond our control" such as Covid-19 and the war in Ukraine "which any party in government would have struggled with".

In Devon, the Conservatives were also able to hold onto South West Devon, Exmouth and Exeter East, Torridge and Tavistock.

But it lost Torbay, Newton Abbot, North Devon, South Devon, Honiton & Sidmouth and Tiverton & Minehead to the Liberal Democrats.

Labour was also able to snatch Plymouth Moor View from Johnny Mercer.

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