The Notebook: Embracing Trump shows just how far the Tory Party has fallen

The embrace of Trump by senior Tory figures shows just how removed the party is from the British electorate, writes James Chapman in today’s Notebook

The Tories no longer even speak for the right

There was a time when being a criminal extremist was something that didn’t find favour on the right of British politics. In fact, they used to be quite against that type of thing.

Which makes the position of senior Tories on tomorrow’s US election all the more extraordinary – and indicative of how far the party has moved from the centre ground where elections are won.

Every day brings fresh outrages from Donald Trump and his team that would be career-ending in any decent society.

Take Trump’s now infamous rally at Madison Square Garden. Speakers called Kamala Harris “the antichrist” and “the devil”, called Hillary Clinton “a sick son of a bitch”, railed against “f***ng illegals”, and referred to Puerto Rico as a “floating island of garbage”.

Trump routinely uses the language of violence to describe opponents. Speaking about Liz Cheney last week, he declared: “Let’s put her with a rifle standing there with nine barrels shooting at her. Let’s see how she feels about it. You know, when the guns are trained on her face.”

Trump has repeatedly promised that if reelected, he will launch “the largest deportation operation in the history of our country” and insisted immigrants are “poisoning the blood” of the US population, language that directly echoes Adolf Hitler.

Harris has responded by finally calling Trump what he is. Asked outright if she believed Trump was a fascist, the Vice President’s answer was simple: “Yes, I do.”

Contrast this with the position of senior Tories. Liz Truss has been backing Trump for months, absurdly claiming that he will make the world safer. 

Boris Johnson has praised Trump for ensuring a “peaceful transfer of power” despite the coup attempt of January 6. 

Robert Jenrick has declared: “If I were an American citizen, I would be voting for Donald Trump.”

These are not marginal figures. Two are recent Prime Ministers and the third was one of the two final candidates to be Tory leader.

Their stance is horribly out of step with the UK electorate, even those on the right. A recent poll showed 61 per cent of voters are hoping for a Harris victory tomorrow – including 58 per cent of those who voted Conservative.

Whatever the outcome of the election, the embrace of Trump by senior Tories will be a permanent stain on their party.

Trump victory will worsen Brexit

If Donald Trump does win tomorrow, Brexit will look even more stupid a decision than it already did.

Trump has promised to introduce tariffs across the board and will pursue an isolationist agenda, doing no favours to the UK.

Looking around the rest of the world, the EU, China and India form giant blocs, while Russia and its proxies do all they can to undermine the West.

The UK is left alone, trying to make a distant Pacific trade partnership a substitute for the open trading relationship we used to have with the world’s largest marketplace on our doorstep. It’s time for a serious conversation about rejoining the EU single market.

Reeves’s bet may well pay off

Despite the fairly negative media reaction, I thought Rachel Reeves’ Budget last week was politically skilful. She decided to make business and the rich carry the can for the state of the public finances she inherited and Labour’s desire to pour money into creaking public services and pay public sector workers more. She is gambling everything on ordinary voters, largely shielded from the direct impact of tax rises, seeing an improvement in schools and hospitals in five years’ time and giving Labour credit. It may well pay off. 

Gisele Pelicot’s incredible courage

For a nine-year period, Gisele Pelicot was unknowingly sedated and raped by her former husband and men he incited to abuse her in their home in a picturesque Provence village.

Pelicot told a French court that she felt “destroyed” but motivated to speak out by the “determination to change society” and expose “rape culture”.

She has displayed incredible courage in opting to reveal her name and tell her story, even urging the judge to make videos of her ordeal public. She has taken a stand not only for herself but for other victims of sexual violence, and she will long be remembered and respected for it.

A recommendation

Ryan Murphy’s series Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, which went to number one on Netflix, is worth watching for Cooper Koch’s incredible performance as one of two brothers who shot and killed their wealthy parents at their home in Beverly Hills. He deserves an Emmy for episode five, a one-take duologue between him and his lawyer. The programme has promoted renewed scrutiny of the brothers’ case and, given the evidence of systemic abuse by their father, will hopefully lead to their release. 

James Chapman is director of Soho Communications and former Treasury comms chief