The most influential member of the UK's Conservative party claims that the Conservatives themselves pose the greatest threat to their own party.

Ben Houchen is a name that has been making waves in the political sphere lately. As the only elected Conservative metro mayor in the country, he holds a unique position of power and influence within the party. And according to the most powerful elected Conservative politician in the UK, the biggest threat to the Conservatives in the upcoming 2029 election is none other than the Conservatives themselves.

Houchen, who serves as the Mayor of the Tees Valley, is a rare example of Tory electoral success. In this year's local elections, he was able to retain his role despite the party's overall decline. However, just two months later, the Conservatives suffered a major defeat and their presence in the House of Commons shrunk to its smallest size in 190 years. This monumental loss was the topic of discussion at the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham, where Houchen, along with MPs Mel Stride and Danny Kruger, analyzed the reasons behind it.

When asked about the biggest challenge to the Tories in 2029, Houchen boldly stated that it was the Conservative Party itself. He firmly believes that if they can effectively communicate their true Conservative values, they can secure victory for decades to come regardless of what other parties may offer. He goes on to explain that the successes of other parties, such as Labour and the Liberal Democrats, are a result of the Conservatives' own failures.

Interestingly, Houchen had campaigned alongside Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister who oversaw the Conservatives' worst election result in history. However, Sunak is not a major presence at the conference and only made one major speech in a private event with party members. In it, he made a lighthearted joke about the conference being a "hot ticket" and even poked fun at opposition leader Keir Starmer.

The focus of the conference seems to be on the four individuals vying for Sunak's position as leader of the opposition: Kemi Badenoch, James Cleverly, Robert Jenrick, and Tom Tugendhat. These four will be making speeches and participating in various Q&A and husting events throughout the four-day conference. Badenoch, in particular, has been making headlines after her comments on maternity pay were deemed controversial by some. However, she later clarified her stance and emphasized her support for maternity pay.

During an event at the conference, leadership rival Robert Jenrick expressed his disagreement with Badenoch's initial comments, stating that he, as a father of three daughters, believes in providing support for women in the workplace. The competition for Sunak's position as leader of the opposition is undoubtedly heating up, and it will be interesting to see how it plays out in the upcoming elections.

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