Michael Portillo has warned that many Conservative candidates may suffer the same fate as he did in 1997.
Speaking on GB News, Michael Portillo said: “For the Tories, ever since the soggy election announcement by the bedraggled Prime Minister in Downing Street, it's been an uphill battle. Given Labour's lead in the polls, perhaps it might have helped the Tories to focus on Sir Keir Starmer’s party, especially what he's going to do and how he's going to pay for it.
“But the Conservative seemingly can't help but make the campaign about themselves, interrupting Labour whenever it's making mistakes, and blurting out policy announcements.
“This campaign at times has been fought as though it were a presidential election; a battle between two candidates.
“But the two candidates are often criticised for a conspicuous lack of charisma needed in a president. After the Boris Johnson years some would argue that that's not a bad thing.
“But it certainly has paved the way for the likes of Nigel Farage. Even the Lib Dems with Ed Davey’s slapstick campaign have taken advantage of the robotic Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer.
“The Labour Party thinks that if it can just simply stay off the news and avoid a scandal, they can walk into Number 10. And they may be right.
“Recently the Conservatives’ campaign has looked confused over whether they are aiming to win the election or whether their message to electors is that they should avoid giving Labour a super majority.
“One result of this muddle is that the Conservatives will not know where to invest their campaigning efforts. Can they be seen to abandon seats that have traditionally been regarded as marginal but which may already be lost, to put resources into seats traditionally thought to be safe but where the Conservative candidate is in fact now in mortal danger.
“In 1997, as I recall, at least some opinion polls pointed to a Labour supermajority, but they tended to be discounted as too bad or too good to be true depending on your allegiance.
“Well, I did believe them. A poll of opinion in my constituency, published in a newspaper on the Sunday before the election, revealed that I was just three points ahead of the Labour candidate. It was an invitation to a largeish number of Liberal Democrat voters to switch to Labour to defeat me.
“Labour published the article as the leaflet and my guess is that it was highly effective in promoting tactical voting. On the day of the election, I toured the patch in my campaign vehicle. Calling in at polling stations I was struck by how many people refuse to catch my eye, or even return my greeting.
“I abandoned the tour halfway through the day, too horrified to continue. It seems that many Conservative incumbents could suffer the same fate. They know already that over the last five years of Tory government people have ceased to listen to what their party has to say.
“I rather assume that with half the party talking about winning and the other half warning of an upcoming Labour supermajority of voters will shut their ears to both.”
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