Tories failed to move enough to the right, says ex-MP

Rishi Sunak gives a speech as he leaves 10 Downing Street on Friday

Conservatives lost their seats after failing to move enough to the right, one of the party's former MPs has said.

Robin Millar won Aberconwy for the Tories in 2019, but finished third in the new Bangor Aberconwy seat behind Labour and Plaid Cymru on Thursday night.

The Conservatives suffered a total wipeout in Wales, losing all of their 14 seats, as Sir Keir Starmer won a landslide general election victory.

Mr Millar told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast: "People told us they were not happy with the direction of policy we had taken in government and the consequence was Thursday."

But the Conservatives should take time for "deep reflection" rather than rush into decisions over new leadership, he added.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer visited Wales on Friday following his landslide election victory

"The point really was that we did not listen to the British public. I say 'we' because it's collective, it's part of the Conservative Party," Mr Millar said.

"I can actually pinpoint the date in February 2020 when I said to colleagues in Westminster at that time that those who voted Conservative in 2019 were instinctively much more to the right of the parliamentary Conservative party than the Conservative MPs.

"That was a gap that we needed to resolve and we failed to do so.

"I failed to make that case within the Conservative party in Westminster but it's something that the Conservative party needs to look at now with real urgency.

"People told us they were not happy with the direction of policy we had taken in government and the consequence was Thursday."

Mr Millar said he "bore no ill will" to Reform UK candidates who "saw an opportunity and took it".

As well as winning five seats, Reform UK finished second in a slew of constituencies around the UK, with 15% of the vote.

Reform UK's leader, Nigel Farage, also became an MP for the first time after winning the seat of Clacton in Essex.

Asked if Mr Farage should be admitted to the Conservative Party, Mr Millar said: "That'll be a decision for the parliamentarians to make."

He added: "It's not the people that's the issue, it's not even the policies, it's the principles and even the process I would say by which they go about it... Members of the party have not been listened to for some time."

'Crying out for change'

Alex Davies-Jones, who was re-elected as the Labour MP for Pontypridd, said the country had been "crying out for change".

"We went into this general election being honest with the public about the challenges that we face," she said.

"It's about having governments working together, not in conflict.

"For far too long we've had a Labour government in Wales trying to do its best to fight the fire of Tory austerity.

"Finally we have a Labour government at both ends of the M4."

Plaid Cymru MP Liz Saville Roberts said politicians - especially the Labour Party - needed to work to find solutions to the challenges people were facing.

"I think the Labour Party needs to realise that it is also important to keep Reform's growth in check," she said.

Plaid Cymru doubled its number of MPs in Wales from two to four on Thursday night.

“People voted Plaid Cymru for a reason, because we offer positive answers to people. We see the challenges Wales face, and we have the answers to solve them," she said.