Baroness Warsi, the Conservative Party chairman, was accused of scoring a spectacular own goal last night in a speech about the British National Party, provoking calls from some Tory MPs for David Cameron to move her in a summer reshuffle.
Senior Conservatives joined Labour and Liberal Democrat politicians in criticising Lady Warsi after she claimed that a Yes vote in the referendum on electoral reform would boost the prospects of the BNP. They pointed out that the BNP was on the same side as the Tories in opposing a switch to the alternative vote (AV) in the 5 May referendum.
Tory MPs noted that yesterday’s remarks were criticised by some Muslim groups, among whom Lady Warsi is hoping to build support for her party. She is the first Muslim woman to sit in the Cabinet.
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The backlash against the Tory chairman came a day after the battle for the 5 May referendum took off when Ed Miliband joined Liberal Democrats and Greens in a cross-party push for a Yes vote. Mr Cameron, accused by some Tories of not campaigning hard enough for a No vote, told his MPs last night that he would make one speech each week opposing AV until the referendum.