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Former Tory minister attacks Government’s 'lack of ambition' and tells Theresa May to 'raise her game'

'There is a timidity and lack of ambition about Ms May’s Government which means it constantly disappoints,' Nick Boles said 

Ashley Cowburn
Political Correspondent
Friday 19 January 2018 19:37 GMT
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Theresa May leaves Downing Street ahead of Prime Minister's Questions
Theresa May leaves Downing Street ahead of Prime Minister's Questions

A former Conservative minister has launched a scathing attack on Theresa May and her government's “lack of ambition”, warning: “Time to raise your game, Prime Minister.”

In a social media post the Conservative MP Nick Boles, who served as a minister in David Cameron’s government until 2016, said Ms May’s administration “constantly disappoints”.

He referred to the housing crisis, funding for the NHS and the decision on Friday by the Government not to challenge the decision to release the rapist John Worboys.

“There is a timidity and lack of ambition about Ms May’s Government which means it constantly disappoints,” he posted Twitter. “Time to raise your game, Prime Minister.”

His intervention comes after the Prime Minister’s former chief of staff, Nick Timothy, who resigned after the inconclusive general election result, expressed his disappointment earlier this week over the decision not to promote Mr Boles in the reshuffle to start 2018.

In a column for the Sun newspaper, Mr Timothy said that Brexit was consuming so much of Government time and said the Conservatives have “lost their confidence” and sense of direction since the general election last June.

“It’s not that there is lack of ideas,” he said. “Bright backbenchers including Chris Philp and Neil O’Brien are fizzing with ideas. Young talent including Oliver Dowden, Lucy Frazer and Rishi Sunak have been given ministerial jobs.

“Nick Boles, who should have been brought into the Cabinet during last week’s reshuffle, is writing a book to inspire the Tories to fix the country’s problems.”

He said the radicalism of Ms May’s original agenda – from July 2016 – had been “lost in a series of compromises with ministers more supportive of a traditional, hands-off approach.”

Mr Boles later told the Sun newspaper: “When I came back I said we needed a new story, a new set of ambitions. I put it friendly terms, and I just feel we’re moving backwards.

“Everything gets watered down, everything gets diluted, everything is mealy mouthed."

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