What this really means for the Conservative Party
The reaction to Suella Braverman's appointment as home secretary has been decisive. Following revelations that she had shared confidential pre-policy material to a personal email address, and then on to further recipients, has raised eyebrows and tempers from all corners of commons.
These reaction posts are myriad, and can be found everywhere from the BBC to Tiktok, mostly by political pundits and operatives far wiser than I am.
What many are missing, however, is that this is a symptom of the current government, not part of the rot itself. The root cause is the Conservative party's disconnect from all parts of society, with their latest burned bridge being business.
In the business world, whether it be retail, services, manufacturing, or anything in between, sharing confidential information is a career-ending action. Deliberately bypassing security protocols often results in a hasty HR meeting and being escorted from the building. Attempting to conceal this from management once exposed makes a likelihood of termination change to a guarantee.
That Sunak is so swift to forgive that which is so universally unforgivable in the society he intends to govern speaks wonders about his disconnect from that society. The complicity of his party, one that claims to be in touch with business, shows nothing but contempt.
Braverman knew that her appointment has more political value to Sunak than the damage she causes. Others too, we only have to look at Patel's violation of diplomatic process (and treason for any non-MP) to see that this hubris has been bubbling away for some time. Now though, rather than the nebulous concept of state secrets being at risk of becoming exposed, we have a far more tangible risk in the form of personal data and confidential policy documents, the latter of which the business world will now think twice about sharing with this government.
Perhaps, though, this is to be expected. The party that has been through purge after purge, year after year, seeks primarily to appease the ERG, that appoints think tank darlings to high office, that sneers at the struggling population, cannot possibly have any grounding in the world beyond the party.
The Conservatives are party before country, and now that includes the country's businesses.
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