Boris Johnson's Conservatives risk going into opposition for a 'very long time,' warns a senior member of his government
- The Conservatives risk going into opposition "for a very long time" if they lose the next general election, a senior member of Boris Johnson's government has said.
- Justice Secretary Robert Buckland warned the party would struggle to get back into government if it is booted out at the next election, which is expected to take place in the coming months.
- Buckland also appeared to criticise Johnson's chief advisor, Dominic Cummings.
- He said people shouldn't listen to "off the record" claims of "unaccountable" people.
- Buckland was speaking at the Conservative party's conference in Manchester.
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MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - The Conservatives risk going into opposition "for a very long time," a senior member of Boris Johnson's government has said.
Speaking at a fringe event at Conservative party conference on Sunday evening, Justice Secretary Robert Buckland warned that Johnson's party will struggle to get back into government if it is booted out at the next general election.
"That election is coming. If we do not get more bums on those seats in the House of Commons then we will be in minority, we will be in opposition for a very long time indeed," Buckland told party members.
Read more: Rebel Conservatives torpedo prospect of replacing Boris Johnson with Jeremy Corbyn to stop Brexit
Johnson wants to hold a general election as soon as possible but Labour and other opposition parties have refused to support holding one until the prime minister delays Brexit to avoid a no-deal exit on October 31.
Buckland warned that a Labour victory at the next election, which is expected to take place in the next few months, would allow leader Jeremy Corbyn to implement radical left-wing policy "very quickly."
Buckland takes a dig at 'unaccountable' figures in Johnson's team
The member of Parliament for Swindon South also appeared to take a swipe at Dominic Cummings, the controversial chief advisor to Johnson, and other "unaccountable" members of the prime minister's top team.
Cummings is a hugely influential figure in Johnson's administration and is widely-believed to be responsible for a large share of quotes which are reported in the media and attributed to government sources.
The justice secretary criticised people in Johnson's team while defending British judges, who have recently been in the spotlight after the Supreme Court ruled that Johnson's decision to suspend Parliament for five weeks was illegal.
"Whatever one thinks about the merits of decisions that are made, one iron rule has to apply, we have an independent judiciary, we have respect for the rule of law," Buckland said.
"That is what your Lord Chancellor will do time and time again, without worrying about the politics of it. Without worrying about what Number 10 [Downing Street] might say."
He added: "My word is the law, not some unaccountable person who might be saying something off record.
"What I say and what the prime minister says matters far more than anything else."
Buckland was a guest speaker at a reception hosted by the Tory Reform Group of moderate Conservatives, where Culture Secretary Nicky Morgan was also a speaker.
Dominic Grieve, who Downing Street recently sacked as a Conservative MP after voted to stop a no-deal Brexit, was also in attendance.