PopCon Tories Say They Do Not Want To Oust Rishi Sunak

Senior Conservative MPs will stress that the new Popular Conservatism movement being launched on Tuesday does not aim to attempt to oust Prime Minister Rishi Sunak as Tory leader.

Former prime minister Liz Truss, ex-Cabinet minister Jacob Rees Mogg and erstwhile deputy chair of the Conservative party Lee Anderson are all expected to make speeches at the central London launch of Popular Conservatism, also known as 'PopCon' on Tuesday morning. 

According to Mark Littlewood, the right-wing political figure and major Truss ally who is behind the new campaign, it will seek to promote a brand of Conservative politics focussed on "freedom", including lower taxes and protecting freedom of speech.

Writing in The Telegraph, Littlewood, who was formerly general director of libertarian think tank Institute for Economic Affairs, said: "It's time to give people their freedom back – that was what Brexit was supposed to be about: taking back control". 

Since the event was announced in January, there has been speculation the the PopCons were lining themselves up to oust the beleaguered Prime Minister, whose party trails Labour in the polls. But those involved in the campaign have sought to stress that the purpose is to shape future Conservative party policy and the Tories' 2024 general election manifesto, and not to push for Sunak to be replaced as leader of the Conservative party.

The fact that Simon Clarke, the Conservative MP and former Cabinet minister who last month called on the Prime Minister to go, has been dropped from the lineup demonstrates that point, one insider told PoliticsHome.

"It’s nothing to do with personality or party leadership or all that nonsense," they said.

They also insisted that it is "not another parliamentary