English: Big Ben in London, England, United Kingdom (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I agree with Bagehot’s Notebook  in the Economist that it’s probably time for a new political party to regain the central ground in the UK. As to my bias, I’ve been a one-national conservative all my life.

It’s looks like the Labour Party is signing up record numbers of far-left supporters who will no doubt support Jeremy Corbyn. For me, the conclusion is clear, the traditional Labour Party has been hijacked by the far-left. So unless Corbyn is removed and the Blairists gain sway again, the Labour Party will not fight for the 48%.

I support Theresa May for Conservative Party leader because it’s time for a safe pair of hands to unite party, country and deal properly with European allies. By comparison, Andrea Leadsom is a light-weight. If Leadsom is chosen purely because she supported Brexit, then the risk of a hard-landing for the UK multiply. For some symbolism, Big Ben  was only stopped for 24 hours in the WWII blitz.

As for a new party, it depends whether it comes from the centre-left or the center-right but here’s a strawman check-list: world-class politicians and statesmen (Blair, Cameron, Osborne level), heavy-hitting media sponsorship, like say Rupert Murdoch, a financial war-chest, big ticket fund-raisers and sponsors, outstanding social media penetration, cross-party appeal.

The safe option would be for May leading a broad-church Conservative Party cabinet, ideally with some Blairite heavy hitters, with Leadsom as Chancellor and overall responsibility for Brexit negotiations leading a team of experts.