Boris Johnson sent a video message to the conference participants. Photo: Jamie Lorriman
The founding conference of the Conservative Democratic Organization begins with the national anthem, sung by Andrea Jenkins MP, in a cup bearing the Union flag. And then a voice comes from the stage. «Good morning friends!» Polite applause. «Good morning fellow conservatives!» More cottons. Then a rallying cry: «Good morning, real conservatives!» which was met with thunderous applause.
11 am on the Bournemouth waterfront. Outside, the beach is teeming with reindeer souls and tourists basking in the sun. But inside the air-conditioned convention center, just a few meters from the beach, there is a true blue sea of a different kind. A gathering of hundreds of discontented Tories—those who call themselves «real» Conservatives—is the heartbeat of the party. Most are elegantly dressed in suits, eloquent blue ties and thongs, clutching «Take control» conference bags. Everyone I talk to is disappointed with the current conservative leadership. I'm here to take the temperature of the grassroots Conservative Party, and it's very hot.
“I am furious with Mr Sunak,” says Michael Northcroft Brown, 67, from Chingford, east London. Mr. Northcroft Brown is a lifelong conservative who sees the CDO movement as «the only hope.» He is still furious at the overthrow of Boris Johnson in what he says was a «coup» and deeply dissatisfied with the party's course. “High taxes, no growth… This is a disaster. Mrs Thatcher would slap Rishi, he says. «I want Boris back.» He insists Johnson's return to No. 10 is «very realistic.»
Andrea Jenkins opened the conference with the performance of the national anthem. Photo: PA
Eternally full of hope, the organizers posted Johnson's name string at the front desk. He is the mastermind behind the CDO, a martyr or «rock star» as Claire Bullivant, CDO's CEO, puts it. Jacob Rees-Mogg is hailed as a hero, but instead of wearing a string around his neck, he ties it to his buttonhole.
The lottery table is filled with prizes including Fortnum & Mason, but the most coveted prize is a bottle of champagne signed by Johnson himself. In an effort not to look like he is usurping the current party leader, the ex-premier is not present. However, he still appears, his voice booming from a pre-recorded video that is being broadcast to the main hall. If the conference organizers are disappointed by this, they don't show it. "We asked him many times" says Ms. Bullivant.
The CDO insists that this is not just a «return of Boris» movement. Despite this, his name pops up in almost every conversation. “I personally say this; if we got Boris back, he could easily win us in the next election,” Ms. Bullivant says. Her mission in the CDO is to «bring back democracy» and make the party «true conservatives» again.
Notable supporters of the movement are also allies of Boris: former Interior Minister Priti Patel; Rees-Mogg; former Minister of Culture Nadine Dorries.
Lord Cruddas, President of the CDO, speaks first and talks about "constructive removal" Johnson was an «abuse of power.»
However, Rees-Mogg adheres to the party line. “We shouldn't change leaders again,” he says. «We have to support Rishi Sunak in the general election or we'll be fried.»
Later, in the hallway, he admits that this was not the «most popular» remark among today's visitors. After Paul Holmes, vice chairman of the Conservative Party, addresses the audience, shouts of «Sunak get out!» from the crowd.
Jacob Rees-Mogg was one of the few speakers to insist that the Tories should not change leaders just yet Credit: PA
Johnson is the thread that runs through it all. “We need Boris to explain it and recite something in Greek,” jokes CDO Chairman David Campbell Bannerman. Party members are «disappointed with our position,» says Ms. Dorris. “Everyone here is worried – just three years ago we got a rare majority. 10 months after Boris Johnson was removed, we were thrown out in the local elections. The conservatives needed someone and something to fire them up.”
Far from offended by recent local election results that saw more than 1,000 Conservative councilors lose their seats, the atmosphere is one of fiery optimism. Indeed, the CDO has reason to be hopeful. Since it was founded by Lord Cruddas and Lord Greenhalgh last December, it has gained momentum, with 6,000 people registered as members or holding positions with the organization, according to Ms. Bullivant.
Graham Bocking, 58, and his wife Julie are from Tewkesbury, where Mr. Bocking is a Conservative adviser. Similarly, he is not convinced by the current prime minister. “Because he was not elected by the members of the Conservative Party, he does not have the necessary support. He was looked at as a man who was imposed on us by deputies,” says Mr. Bocking. “The election of the leadership turned into a mess. Liz Truss was always going to win because we thought, «Anyone but Rishi.»
Ms. Bocking is more forthright: «Rishi was soaked to the skin,» she says. “We want Boris back! If he showed up today, he would get a standing ovation.”
Among the speakers was former Home Secretary Priti Patel. : Jamie Lorriman
The vast majority of those gathered today are current members of the Conservative Party, though some are lifelong supporters who disapprove of the party's direction so strongly that they have given up their membership.
«I've given up; I won't be back until democracy restored,» says one. I'm talking to Jackie, 73, a former bank clerk who donned a bright blue suit for the occasion. She «had to think carefully about renewing,» she says. To Boris: “It was wrong to get rid of him,” she says sadly.
Among the 50s, 60s, and 70s who make up the majority of the crowd, there is a group of teenagers who look at me warily. — Are you a journalist? one asks. «No comments.» Among them is Tom Kelly, 17, from Bournemouth, who skipped his Saturday work to be here.
«The average age is much older,» he says, looking around the room in which it's putting it mildly. “First of all, I want to attract young people. I feel that [the party] goes back to Thatcher in many ways. I know we love to look back, but we also need to look forward. Maybe this way we can encourage people to get involved.” As a young conservative, he is in the minority among his friends, who he says are «leaning to the left.» “But we listen to each other and have an honest, honest conversation, which is rare these days.”
There is an unofficial ballot on the table across from the entrance—one box with Sunak's face on and one with Johnson. You can probably guess who gets the most votes.
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