A former Conservative party chair has revealed how she is being wooed by the Liberal Democrats as she harbours serious concerns about the political direction of her party — but insisted she will not defect yet.
Baroness Sayeeda Warsi was a surprise guest at the Lib Dem annual conference in Bournemouth on Sunday, prompting speculation that she would become the latest Conservative to switch sides.
She spoke at a fringe meeting of the all-party parliamentary group on British Muslims — heavily criticising prime minister Boris Johnson's failure to act over Islamophobia — and insisted she was still a Tory, although she was "hanging on by the tips of my nails".
Pressed by BuzzFeed News on whether she had considered defecting, she said: "There is no doubt there’s a Lib Dem surge happening. I can understand why.
"It seems to be occupying the centre ground while my party has a little foray off to the right and the Labour party are having a little drift off to the left. ... But right now — maybe it’s the Dewsbury girl in me — I want to stay and fight. "
On Saturday, ex-Tory Sam Gyimah became the sixth MP to defect to the Lib Dems in recent weeks, following his Tory colleague Phillip Lee who crossed the floor earlier this month in protest over Johnson's Brexit policy.
Lib Dem members in the room shouted "join us!" as Warsi spoke. "I don’t know a politician in Westminster these days who doesn’t wake up every morning and think 'What the hell — why am I even involved in this place?
"I’ve always had the privilege of being able to work with colleagues from across the House and I make no bones about it — one of my biggest allies during the coalition years was Nick Clegg [former Lib Dem leader].
"My husband is in the room and he’s a Lib Dem. It was an ongoing conversation between him and Nick Clegg — he said, 'Can you persuade this woman to be in the right party?'"
Warsi said she was hugely disappointed in Johnson's government and its failure to tackle Islamophobia within the Conservative party.
BuzzFeed News reported earlier this month how Johnson watered down his apparent plans for a dedicated inquiry and is looking instead at an investigation into "all types of prejudice and discrimination".
Warsi, who was chair of the party under David Cameron, said: "For me it’s been a very painful journey. I am a Conservative, but I’m still hanging on by the tips of my nails.
"I have seen in the past decade my party shift dramatically to the right — the party that I joined is not the party that I see. There is no doubt that my party has a deep, embedded problem with Islamophobia; there is an underbelly within my party that is Islamophobic.
"Therefore I think they are scared that if they were to adopt a definition [of Islamophobia] under which many of them would be caught, then that’s not going to be a great look."
She said she had personally spoken to Johnson about the need for an inquiry into Islamophobia within the Tory party.
"I have explained to him why it’s morally right and necessary. I also made the point that there are many, many people who in the past would have donated to the party who now can’t find themselves able to vote for the party.
"So even if I can’t appeal to my party’s moral compass, I’m appealing to their electoral compass which is to say you’re about winning elections, this is a great strategy."
BuzzFeed News has extensively covered the Tory party’s troubles with its handling of anti-Muslim hatred over the last few months, presenting them with evidence of dozens of members who have made anti-Muslim remarks online, including targeting chancellor Sajid Javid for his Muslim background.