Ex-Cabinet minister Grant Shapps 'plots Commons comeback'

Ex-Cabinet minister Grant Shapps is reportedly eyeing a shock comeback to the House of Commons after leading a review of the Tories' general election disaster.

The former defence secretary and Lord Kempsell, a close ally of Boris Johnson, have penned a report on the Conservatives' worst-ever election result titled 'What went wrong?'.

The pair, who have formed a 'Conservatives Together' group in the wake of the devastating defeat, are due to appear together at a fringe event at the Tory conference in Birmingham this week.

According to The Times, their report has savaged Rishi Sunak's decision to hold the general election on 4 July - earlier than most people expected - concluding that it was made 'without understanding, consultation, warning or sufficient preparation'.

It has also called on the Tories to copy the claimed Liberal Democrat strategy of targeting voters in any constituency with a branch of the posh bakery Gail's. 

The newspaper reported that Mr Shapps is plotting a sensational return to Parliament less than three months after losing his Welwyn Hatfield seat.

A Tory MP in a nearby seat to Mr Shapps's old one is said to have told friends they are not planning to serve the full five years as an MP - potentially giving him a chance to stand in a by-election.

Mr Shapps this morning claimed, if the Tories' can 'sort ourselves out', they would soon be able to 'battle' Labour following the 'mess' that Sir Keir Starmer and his Labour Government have found themselves in 'in such a short time'. 

His and Lord Kempsell's report took evidence from 62 defeated Tory candidates and has heaped criticism on the party's campaign headquarters (CCHQ) over the general election result.

It calls for the Tories to seek to win back voters from Reform UK and the Lib Dems, after concluding that they, rather than Labour, won over disaffected Conservatives.

The report said the Conservatives are in 'the uncomfortable position of learning from the efficiency of the Liberal Democrats' campaign machine'. 

'Their famed 'Gail's Strategy', which targeted any constituency with a branch of the upmarket bakery Gail's, effectively leveraged that company's own market research data,' it added.

'It is a lesson in the value of data and highly efficient strategic targeting.'

Lib Dem figures have previously denied they specifically targeted constituencies with a Gail's branch.

Speaking on Times Radio, Mr Shapps today suggested the Tories - despite their heavy election loss in July - could soon revive their fortunes amid Labour's woes over donations and freebies.

'Quite frankly, it's extraordinary just how quickly Keir Starmer and the Labour Government is coming unwound,' he said.

'When you see the mess you've got themselves into in such a short time, in 80-90 days, people are now looking at it and saying 'well, you know what, if we can actually sort ourselves out then we'll be able to battle them'.'