Jeremy Hunt caught on tape moaning about ‘total failure to appreciate our superb record’

Jeremy Hunt was heard lamenting the “utter failure to appreciate our superb record” after 14 years of Conservative government. In a secretly recorded exchange, the chancellor expressed his “incredible frustration” that there was a perception that Britain was going to be “in a handcart”.

The Tories have faced criticism from opponents for the state of the nation as people struggle financially, NHS waiting lists are growing and the justice system is under pressure with prisons at capacity. Despite these challenges and the lack of growth in the economy, he aired his anger at a Tory fundraiser about the negative outlook on their performance.

During his April speech to a Tory party gathering, he warned: “As for the election, we will not win it unless we are united and if we lose this election it will be because the British people do not want to vote. for a divided party and it will be our own stupid fault and we have to remember that.”

He went on to address the discontent highlighted in media reports: “The thing that is causing the most division and dissent in the newspapers is a total failure to appreciate our superb record since 2010. I just want to say that I am incredibly frustrated by this narrative building up that things are going to hell in the handcart,” the Mirror reports.

Mr Hunt also attributed some of the current difficulties to the fallout from the global financial crisis, which began three years before the Conservatives took office, along with the impact of the pandemic and the conflict in Ukraine. “What’s happened in the last 14 years is that we’ve had to deal with three of the biggest economic shocks of our lifetime, not one of the biggest shocks, but three in total during that time when the Conservatives were in office “, he said.

The chancellor, Mr Hunt, was the guest of honor at a fundraising dinner hosted by the Tory Reform Group. The event, open to the public, saw tickets sold at £90 a pop.

His tenure as minister spans most of the Conservative Party’s time in power. After the Conservative victory in 2010, David Cameron appointed him culture secretary, and he became the longest-serving health secretary in history.

Theresa May later promoted him to foreign secretary, but his time in government was cut short when he lost to Boris Johnson in the 2019 Conservative leadership contest. He returned when Liz Truss appointed him chancellor following her disastrous mini-budget.

Mr Hunt now faces a battle to keep his seat in Parliament, standing for election in the new constituency of Godalming and Ash in Surrey. Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury Darren Jones criticized the current government’s attitude towards their performance.

He said: “Gillian Keegan asked why no one would say she was doing a good job when schools were collapsing. Rishi Sunak locked himself in Downing Street complaining that voters don’t give him enough credit.

“And now Jeremy Hunt is caught complaining that the British don’t give him credit for the Tory economic record. It is absolute nonsense. We now know that the biggest threat to the economy is another five years of Tory chaos.”

In response, a Conservative Party spokesman defended its achievements: “Since 2010, Conservative governments have made great strides. 4 million more people in work, record NHS funding, triple lock protected pensioners and improved education standards”.