The rise of the Red Wall ‘WhatsApp Warriors’

As Boris Johnson marks a year in Downing Street, one of his biggest achievements to date had been the destruction of Labour’s red wall. In the 2019 election, the Prime Minister succeeded in turning many seats in the Midlands and North blue for the first time. At cabinet this week, he referred to them as his ‘blue wall’ MPs, a nod to his desire to keep the once Labour heartlands Tory. However, as I say in this week’s magazine, the new intake’s first few months have been bumpy and this has repercussions for party management.

The 2019 intake barely had time to set up their offices before they were sent back to their constituencies for lockdown. This meant they didn’t have the usual set-up for building ties with their colleagues. ‘Not having people physically in any office means you are less of a team and there’s less loyalty,’ explains a government aide. Since then, they haven’t exactly earned gold stars for good behaviour.