Challenged to express enthusiasm for Sunak, Street recently told the Sunday Times: “He is the prime minister. I am supportive to the party. But he and I have fallen out over a number of issues.”
Street’s Labour rival, Richard Parker, has accused him of being a Tory “when it suits him.”
A Conservative MP in the West Midlands, granted anonymity like others in this article to speak freely, conceded that while some might see Street’s actions as an exercise in political distancing, “Andy has taught me a lesson, which is don’t ram Conservative posters down people’s throats.”
“We should make the effort to explain why you should vote for me. Not just because I’ve got a blue ribbon but because I care about the things that you care about,” the MP added.
Clear blue water
In hard-fought elections around the country, the temptation to take a leaf out of Street’s book appears strong.
Ben Houchen, mayor of Tees Valley since 2017, has dropped the Conservative label from some leaflets and has boasted that he is used to hearing from voters that they would back him despite not liking the Tories.