Nick Ferrari warns Tories risk 'drifting into political irrelevance' with major shift

So farewell the Conservative Party, once heralded as the "most successful political party on the planet". This was evidenced by their unequalled and almost unshakable grip on power...until they ran out of road - and significantly votes - three months ago.

With the balloting bungle last week, in which they served up the unenviable choice of Kemi Badenoch or Robert Jenrick as their next party leader, the Tories cast themselves off into the political wilderness like an untethered boat at the end of the pier.

In government, the Conservatives ultimately became deeply unimpressive over a lengthy period of time.

In opposition they've become deeply unhinged in record time.

To add a dash of fairness, however, their "right on" voyage to one extreme of the party championed by both the remaining candidates is utterly understandable. After their unexpected defeat at a general election almost a decade ago, it was hardly surprising the Labour party felt it needed to go back to its roots.

Calculating its attempt to woo centrist voters had failed as badly as Ed Miliband's attempt to eat a bacon sandwich, the party raced to what it perceived as its "core vote" and announced suitable Socialist policies, but failed yet again at the polls.

Fast forward a few years and it is the turn of the Tories to be on the end of their own electoral wipeout in which a former Prime Minister, as well as a clutch of cabinet ministers, were turfed unceremoniously out of their seats.

With the party resembling the Titanic shortly after hitting the iceberg, it was time to hit the panic button and put its exhausted membership through yet ano-ther process of choosing the party leader.

Accepting their track record in this is at best questionable (Liz Truss anyone?) it's time to spare a thought for them. They've been forced to vote as regularly as the X Factor judges over recent years.

Bruised, battered and bewildered Tories who were once fed the line they were "the natural party of government" headed off to Birmingham for what was expected to be a wake coming so soon after that blistering defeat.

However, the mood at their conference was surprisingly upbeat. And as it closed, mercifully without the stage collapsing behind them, the would-be leaders energised the party faithful, with one contender coming out as clear favourite.

The former big beast who'd held down two of the four "big roles" in government, James Cleverly, had shot the lights out at the conference and installed himself as the man to beat. And here is where the inexplicability and unique ability of the Tories to blow themselves up came into play.

After the party's MPs had their first vote last week, the eminently electable Tom Tugendhat was sent back to the pavilion. Hopefully, his time will come.

But that left centrist Cleverly urging the party once again to have "a smile on its face", squaring off against Kemi Badenoch and Robert Jenrick.

We all know what happened next.

Politics must be played and won in the centre. Just ask Tony Blair, David Cameron and even Boris Johnson, who was deemed by many to be a "cap L Liberal and a small c conservative".

The die is now cast. The Conservatives want to reform as Reform and take on Nigel Farage. And we all know how well that has gone in the past.

"You cannot be serious!" That was the reaction of many tennis lovers at the news that Wimbledon is to do away with 300 line judges and instead opt for an artificial intelligence system for those crucial calls at next year's tournament.

All right, it brings it in "line" with most other tennis majors, but the theatre provided by players arguing, embracing, cuddling and colliding with the judges was unmatched...and I'm not so certain fans will "love" this change.

For many of us who were around in the 1970s, the country felt a little bit crowded. Back then, the population was 55 million. Then in 2006 it felt even fuller, and that was when there was "just" 61 million of us.

Last week we learnt the population has risen to 68.3 million - and even that figure dates back to the middle of 2023!

Meanwhile, as some aspects of migration remain uncontrolled, it is projected we will be at 70 million in just two years.

All of which raises one question: unless you are fortunate enough to live in the most tranquil of rural idylls, do you think the roads, schools, hospitals and even water supply can cope?

And so - post Chagos Islands - the forced "giveaway" frenzy begins.

Spain has said there will be a hard border with Gibraltar unless the UK accepts Madrid's "generous" post-Brexit deal. Following the indefensible Chagos shambles, the government only has itself to blame.

The government says the proposed Employment Rights Bill will "level up the workplace once and for all".

Meanwhile, Sir Martin Sorrell, who founded the largest marketing and advertising agency on the planet which now boasts 130,000 employees in 100 countries, says it "will endanger and discourage productive expansion and new investment".

When it comes to business, who do you suppose it's worth listening to?