Sunak to blame for Tory 'chaos', Houchen says

Key Facts

Asked if the prime minister was to blame for the Conservatives' problems, Lord Houchen told BBC Radio Tees: "Ultimately it always rests on the shoulders of the leader, all responsibility goes back to the top, it's the same in my job as well.
Image source, Reuters Image caption, Rishi Sunak went to Darlington on Friday to celebrate Ben Houchen's re-election "There's lots of people fighting with each other in the Conservative Party, there are defections going on, and ultimately the public do not vote for parties who are not united and are not presenting a united front and also aren't talking to the public.
"If they're fighting with each other like rats in a sack instead of saying to the public 'this is what we're going to do for you', that doesn't win elections.
"Obviously, it ultimately lies with Rishi but there are lots of people that need to get their act together, stop messing about and start talking to the public about what they can offer them, rather than just fighting with each other," Lord Houchen added.