Star comment: Six more weeks of this? No thanks

The Conservative Party seems to be doing its level best to make itself unelectable in 2024.

While the rest of the country faces a cost of living crisis, where people are having to change their spending habits and make considerable sacrifices and where inflation is making our wages worth less, Tories are displaying their dirty laundry.

Politics is a dirty, ruthless business and this has been a poor year for the ruling party. From the antics of Boris Johnson to the unsavoury blue-on-blue warfare that has gripped Conservatives since, it has been unedifying.

While people wonder whether to cancel their Netflix subscription, run a bath that costs £2.20, or buy fresh fruit that is no longer affordable, Tories are naval gazing.

Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss have promised a positive campaign but it is anything but – just as their denigration of Penny Mordant was deeply unpleasant.

Some Conservative Party members are demanding the reinstatement of Boris Johnson as leader who may, in fact, find himself facing an election in his own constituency if he is found to have deliberately misled Parliament.

The only thing going for the Conservatives at the moment is that Sir Keir Starmer consistently fails to inspire.The party must get a new leader in place in a dignified manner.

The idea of a further six weeks of campaigning is deeply unpalatable. Tories then have two years to bring in sensible policies that deal with our economic crisis and genuinely make a difference. Time will tell if that happens or if the party descends into more internal warfare that damages it and the country.

This could be a defining year for Birmingham and our wider region. There is the opportunity to cement a place on the global stage.

Sir Lenny Henry has spoken of his pride to be from this region, while preparing to welcome the Commonwealth Games. Steven Knight has promised an opening ceremony on Thursday that reflects the unique spirit of the region and Resorts World Arena has more than a fighting chance of winning the battle to hold the Eurovision Song Contest.

Birmingham’s time in the spotlight will send waves of benefit to the whole region, including the Black Country and into Shropshire and Staffordshire. Now it is up to us all to get behind the Games so that we can reap the most benefit. We can channel a positive spirit in celebrating our diversity, our talent and our sense of community. The West Midlands is a great region – it’s time to tell the world.