Rugby election reaction: Chairman says Tories need to remind public 'what we have done for them'

The chairman of Rugby Conservative Association believes his party still has time to prompt a renaissance before the general election by “telling people what we have done for them”.

Adrian Warwick, who also represents Fosse on Warwickshire County Council, argued that issues such as inflation have been driven by international factors and defended the Tories’ handling of circumstances that have impacted the UK since the Covid pandemic.

He was speaking after the Conservatives endured a bruising round of local elections last week, although the damage was limited to the loss of three Rugby Borough Council seats to Labour out of the 14 that were up for grabs.

It meant that the Conservatives, who led the council despite being just short of a majority in 2023-24, remained the biggest party with 17 seats overall. Labour moved up to 15 while the Liberal Democrats remained on 10.

Labour gained seats in Admirals & Cawston, Coton & Boughton and Newbold & Brownsover and went within 26, 42 and 88 votes of turning another three seats from blue to red – close calls that would have seen them become the biggest party if they had swung the other way.

The Lib Dems also went within 20 votes of taking another from the Tories after a recount in Dunsmore.

“I am very proud of my colleagues and my party,” said Mr Warwick.

“We need to remember we have come off the back of a global pandemic and a war taking place in Europe that is generating all sorts of problems, including inflationary pressures.

“I know the opposition would like to blame that on other things but the truth of the matter is that the global position is impacting massively, you only have to look at the (United) States and the way their economy and interest rates are looking.

“As a party we need to get better at a national level at explaining to people what we have done, the help we have given through cost-of-living issues, energy support.

“I think it would help us massively to build those bridges with the public. I still think we can get our story out there before the general election, people can get the trust back in us and I look forward to Yousef Dahmash (the Conservative candidate) being an excellent MP for Rugby.”

Asked whether he put these local election results down to those issues, Mr Warwick replied: “I would reiterate that we need to do better nationally at telling people what we have done for them.

“Others like to say this or that has caused it – take a look at the global picture.

“If we want to blame anyone, blame China and blame Russia because with the pandemic and the war with Ukraine – the awful, awful position there – that is driving a lot of the problems we have and we need to keep people focused on that.

“We have a lot to do, both for ourselves and compassionately for other nations as well.”