Why some Tories could vote for Labour in general election

Gavin Barwell may hold the key to the next election.

- JOHN RENTOUL

He was the Conservative MP for Croydon Central until Theresa May thought it would be a good idea to cash in her huge opinion-poll lead to win the substantial majority she thought she needed to Get Brexit Done. She lost the small majority she had inherited from David Cameron, and Barwell lost his seat. Barwell went to work for May as her chief of staff in No 10, and spent two fruitless years trying to persuade Labour MPs that they should vote for May's soft Brexit - warning them that the alternative was a hard Brexit under Boris Johnson.

There is not much reward for being right in politics, but he got to be in the House of Lords, as Baron Barwell of Croydon, and he continues to offer a thoughtful centrist Tory perspective on social media.

Two days ago, he took issue with Kevin Hollinrake, the chair of the Conservative Party, who had unwisely allowed himself to answer a forced-choice question. Asked by The Telegraph if he would rather enter into an alliance with Nigel Farage or Ed Davey, Hollinrake said: “If that was my only choice, of course I would choose Reform. We are the only parties who believe in controlling our borders.”