Durham graduate Sir Graham Brady has returned to Durham to speak at our School of Government and International Affairs.
Sir Graham is a UK Conservative MP and chair of the 1922 Committee – an influential group of Conservative MPs that plays an important role in choosing the party’s leader.
Staff, students and guests were treated to a one-hour conversation with Sir Graham, who graduated in Law from St Aidan’s College in 1989, chaired by Professor Patrick Kuhn, at the invitation of Professor Christopher Finlay, the Head of the School of Government and International Affairs.
Sir Graham spoke openly about a range of topics, including sharing his views on how a Conservative Party leader should be chosen if the role should become vacant while the Party is in Government – as was the case when Rishi Sunak succeeded Liz Truss as Prime Minister.
His comments that in such circumstances a new leader should be chosen on a vote of Conservative MPs, rather than all Conservative Party members as currently, attracted national media attention and debate.
My view is that was a mistake to introduce that rule. I think it’s fine to have the party members voting on the leader when you’re in opposition. But in a parliamentary system where essentially you could only remain Prime Minister if you enjoyed the confidence of your party in Parliament, it seems to me crazy that we now have different mechanisms in that the parliamentary party, the Conservative members of parliament can get rid of the leader by voting no confidence, but then the leader is supplied by party members…. but it will never happen, because you will need the party members to vote by a super majority in a constitutional change in order to make that different, and they won’t.
We regularly share the activities and achievements of our graduates. Doing so does not imply endorsement of any views expressed.
