The old battle of the Tory wets vs the drys is back

British political life is witnessing the resurrection of old factional fault lines, with the classic Conservative battle between the "wets" and the "drys" returning to prominence. According to reporting from Yahoo News and echoed by UK News, this re-emergence of historical divisions risks damaging the party's electoral prospects as warring factions gird their loins for internal conflict.

At the center of this shift is Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch. Her declaration that party "grandees" — referring to past ministers and senior MPs — will receive no special treatment in candidate selection for the next election has been spun by some observers as a purge. Badenoch has explicitly stated that her leadership requires commitment to specific core policies, including leaving the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and abandoning net zero in its current form. Those unable to support these positions are deemed surplus to requirements.

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Those facing exclusion or disadvantage under these rules are widely identified as "One Nation" Tories, the contemporary descendants of the party's left wing historically labeled "wets" by ardent Thatcherites. During the era of Margaret Thatcher, prominent figures such as Sir Ian Gilmour, sacked from the Cabinet in 1981, earned the famous jibe from Denis Thatcher of being "so wet that you can shoot snipe off them." Christopher Brocklebank-Fowler, the sole Tory MP to defect to the Social Democratic Party (SDP) at the time, received the same designation.

The modern manifestation of this ideological sift is already affecting high-profile figures. Reports indicate that former minister Sir Grant Shapps has been informed he is unlikely to secure selection as a Conservative candidate in a winnable seat. Attention has subsequently shifted to Dame Penny Mordaunt, a leading figure on the liberal wing of the party who held eight ministerial offices across recent Conservative governments and is well known to the public for carrying the Sword of State as Lord President of the Council during the coronation of King Charles III, alongside her frequent Commons clashes with Scottish nationalists. Mordaunt is still waiting to learn if she will be accepted as a candidate.

To enforce ideological alignment, Badenoch is subjecting prospective candidates to rigorous scrutiny. Daniel Johnson reports that would-be candidates face a grueling six-hour grilling designed to "smoke out wets and windbags." Critics within the party have claimed that figures like Dame Penny are viewed by leadership loyalists as too incoherent and incompetent for a place in the new team.

The historical echoes run deep. Throughout the eleven years of Margaret Thatcher's government, wets and drys fought tenaciously, though present-day moderates argue that a mix of factions, incorporating both Norman Tebbit and Chris Patten, ultimately underpinned a successful Cabinet. Some advisors close to Mrs. Badenoch reportedly dread a return to those civil wars, particularly given that several leading malcontents have already defected to Reform. One leading Badenoch advisor addressed the potential for infighting with a blunt warning, stating that the party simply cannot afford it.

Key developments in the Conservative candidate selection process

• Kemi Badenoch rules out special treatment for former ministers and senior MPs.
• Mandatory policy alignments include leaving the ECHR and altering net zero.
• Prospective candidates undergo a six-hour evaluation session.
• High-profile moderate figures, including Sir Grant Shapps and Dame Penny Mordaunt, face uncertainty regarding winnable seat selections.

As the Conservative Party navigates this internal realignment, the central question remains whether a strict adherence to dry orthodoxy will galvanize the grassroots or alienate the moderate wing entirely.