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Matt Hancock gave a speech at a Bright Blue event last night, on how to get young people connected to the Conservative Party. He said he rarely wears a suit or tie as he’s ‘a normal person now’ which helps him to better connect to people he represents. A few things stood out🧵⬇️
He’s no longer a Conservative MP. He’s Independent as he lost the whip over his fleeting dabble in reality TV. Speaking about how the Conservatives should connect with young people whilst not a Conservative, comes across more critically than it would had he still been a member.
Some people just don’t take him seriously as a politician any more - from his tv appearance to his regular tiktoks, some say that what he cites as ‘connecting to young people’ actually just crosses a line that politicians need to stay behind. Mixed views on this though!
Secondly, after the speech, I asked how he found being an Independent MP. He said ‘liberating. I can do anything now’, and refused to say outright, but implied that he’s not interested in regaining the whip. He’s standing down at the next GE though, so that may be a factor, but..
Losing the whip is often associated with shame and not meant to be seen as a positive (it’s effectively a punishment!) so it’s interesting to see that Hancock has not taken it this way. Instead, he is citing ‘freedom’ - in a similar to way to Andrew Bridgen.
The overall tone of the speech was quite critical of the Cons current direction. Implying that the party was restrictive, and failing to connect to ‘normal’ and younger people. He said they need to banish the ‘Conservative Corbynistas’ who get hung-up on culture wars too.
The bottom line? Just ‘BE NORMAL’.
PS: Worth explaining that @WeAreBrightBlue is an independent think tank that backs ‘liberal Conservatism’
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