To the launch of Onward, the new liberal Conservative think tank. A who’s who of the Tory party, including Liz Truss, Tom Tugendhat and James Cleverly, gathered in Parliament’s Churchill room to raise a glass to the new venture – headed by Theresa May’s former policy wonk Will Tanner. Launching the event were the new dream team: Ruth Davidson and Michael Gove.
Neither were shy in coming forward. The Scottish Conservatives leader began her speech by joking that the reason she had been invited was to prove the Tory party is diverse:
‘In future when think tanks ask please, can we get a pregnant lesbian, the answer for all those of us who are modernisers in the Conservative Party should be ‘which of the many pregnant lesbians?’
Davidson went on to speak of the hopes she had for the new venture while also voicing her criticisms of what she sees as the Conservatives’ image problem:
‘We look a bit joyless, a bit authoritarian sometimes.
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