The Tories should learn from Jeremy Corbyn’s re-election as Labour leader and develop ‘ethical moral mission, says education minister
Robert Halfon said the hapless leftie's appeal cannot be ignored if the Conservatives want to win again
EDUCATION minister Robert Halfon called on his party to learn from Jeremy Corbyn's re-election - and develop "an ethical moral mission" to attract voters.
Mr Halfon, who described his party as the "modern trade union movement for the working classes", argued his party needed to push this message on doorsteps in order to attract voters.
Speaking during a fringe event at the Conservative conference in Birmingham, the Harlow MP said: "When Jeremy Corbyn got re-elected, many Conservatives implied it was a walk in the park until the next General Election. But I don't think that is the case.
"Now the reason why that is wrong - is that we are not looking at how they are getting people to join the Labour Party.
"Not everyone who has joined under Corbyn is a hard left Trotsky - but there are also many hundreds of thousands, I suspect, who have joined the Labour party because they believe Labour have a noble mission to help working people."
Urging his own party to move into what is seen as natural territory of their rivals, he said: "The Labour party has always had a huge advantage that when they knock on the door - whether under Blair or Corbyn - that they help the poor.
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"They think Labour's heart is in the right place as they are there help the poor.
"And so when we think that why are so many young people joining the Labour party, why do they have so much power on the doorstep."
Mr Halfon, a former deputy chairman of the Tories, told party activists that: "The first task of Tory party in getting people to believe in us is that we have to be a party with an ethical moral mission too.
"People shouldn't just believe we are a party of economic cuts."
It comes after speaker after speaker at the Birmingham event have attacked Jeremy Corbyn's leadership of Labour since it started yesterday.
Liam Fox said he is the "very dangerous" leader of a Labour Party that has gone "completely mad".
The International Trade Secretary said the Corbyn-supporting Momentum movement were "extremists" and warned of the "damage" it could do to the country.
And during his speech this morning Philip Hammond said he has “abandoned” the agenda of working class people.
“Deserting the middle ground of British politics in favour of the socialist ideology of the metropolitan left-wing elite,” the Chancellor said.
“Leaving us, the Conservatives, as the true party for working people.”