The Tory election strategy was “idiotic” and forced voters into the arms of Labour, Suella Braverman has said in the wake of the worst defeat in Conservative history. 

Writing an opinion piece for The Telegraph, the former home secretary said “we failed in office and deserved this result”. 

“Losing elections has consequences: I regret them, but too many Tories do not,” she added. 

“People didn’t choose Labour, they rejected us.”

She said the prime minister and the party employed an “idiotic strategy of intermittently and inconsistently making ‘Tory right’ noises – which disintegrated when set against our liberal Conservative record”.

Ms Braverman is among the favourites to take over as the next Conservative leader, with the defeated Rishi Sunak set to depart, as soon as his successor is chosen. 

She retained her seat in Fareham & Waterlooville, but Labour, the Liberal Democrats and Reform UK all made gains in vote share. 

Moving to the future, Ms Braverman outlined three things the Tories must do before they can win again:

• Restore trust
• Restore credibility
• Restore hope

“We’re not a racist country needing ‘decolonisation’ and DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion)and all the progressive rest of it,” she said. 

She concluded by noting Nigel Farage’s entry to the Commons, saying he “can just say the right things”, but “we have to do them”.