Iceland boss quits 'out of touch' Tories in humiliating blow to Rishi Sunak

01 October 2023 , 08:00

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Iceland supermarket boss Richard Walker (Image: PA)

The boss of Iceland has quit the Tories saying the party has "lost its way" and left the country in a "considerably worse state" than 13 years ago.

Richard Walker's brutal swipe at the "out of touch" Conservatives came as the party's annual conference kicked off in Manchester on Sunday. The businessman, who had hoped to become a Tory MP, also accused Mr Sunak of having "no real interest in green issues" after watering down net zero targets.

Mr Walker also hit out at the UK's "sluggish" economic growth and said he "remained open" over which party to support at the next general election. But he said in an article for The Guardian: "That is all for another day. For the moment, there's one party card that's in the shredder, and it's blue".

He said since the 2019 election, "it has become increasingly difficult to avoid the conclusion that the Conservative party has drifted badly out of touch with business and the economy, and with the everyday needs of the British people". Mr Walker added: "Indeed, many lifelong Tories I know now find it hard to disagree that the country is in a considerably worse state than it was when their party returned to power 13 years ago."

He went on: "Today's reality is that we have a nominally Conservative government, yet I struggle to name a single thing they are actually conserving.

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"Certainly not the business sector or our economy, the vitality of our high streets or the safety of my retail colleagues, our farming and rural communities, our rivers and seas, our net zero obligations, our NHS, our schools, our reputation for decency and fairness, or the future prosperity of our kids and grandkids."

Last week a leading Tory donor and founder of Carpetright also said the party did not "deserve" to win the next general election. Philip Harris told The Telegraph: “The whole situation in politics at the moment is very damaging to the UK.

“Does a party like the Conservatives, with what they have done in the last three years, deserve to get back [in power]? I don’t think so.” He added: “You can’t think of many good things that the Conservatives have done and stuck to. At the last election, they said they were going to open 40 new hospitals in the next five years. Where are they?”

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Ashley Cowburn