James Cleverly Ridiculed For Claiming Tory Party 'Exists To Provide Good Government'

James Cleverly was mocked for telling Sky News that the Conservatives “exist to provide good government” this morning.

The former home secretary, who now holds the same role but in the shadow cabinet, was speaking about the upcoming leadership race in the Tory Party, when he admitted there is a “reasonable chance” he will run for the top job.

“We enter public service because we want to serve the British people,” Cleverly said Sky News this morning.

“And as I’ve said, particularly as the Conservatives – we’re not a think tank, we’re not the political arm of some movement – the Conservative Party exists to provide good government.

“When we are in government, it’s our duty to do it well.

“And when we’re ejected from government, as we have been at this general election, we need to think about why that happened, what we need to do differently.”

A clip of this exchange from the shadow home secretary caused quite the stir on social media, after 14 years of turbulent government from the Conservatives.

Some critics accused Cleverly of having “no shame”...

...others asked if it was comedy...

...while some critics recalled the Tories’ most controversial policies, including Rwanda....

... austerity and the lockdown breaches....

...and a handful of users asked when the Tories would learn.

Cleverly used the same interview to claim said Labour has had a “catastrophic start” to government in scrapping the Rwanda scheme.

He also alleged that Labour’s claim that the government had already spent £700m on the Rwanda scheme was a “made-up number”.

Sky presenter Kay Burley reminded him that “nobody was sent there” in the end, they did not  the election and that “people didn’t like your policies”.

But he claimed Labour “didn’t even have the good grace to inform Rwanda directly” – although Burley said Labour had been making it clear prior to the election that this was their plan.