May rips into her party over sleaze, sexism and bigotry

Theresa May launched an unprecedented attack on sleaze, sexism and bigotry in the Tory party yesterday, warning activists they have no chance in the next election unless they stop hypocritical finger wagging and demonising minorities.

In an apparent reference to John Major's affair with Edwina Currie, the Conservative party chairman rebuked "untrustworthy and hypocritical" MPs for tarnishing politics.

She attacked Tory sleaze-mongers of the past such as Jonathan Aitken and Jeffrey Archer for making people cynical towards politicians.

"In recent years a number of politicians have behaved disgracefully and then compounded their offences by trying to evade responsibility. We all know who they are," she said. "Let's face it. some of them have stood on this platform."

Mrs May warned the Tory rank and file that they were seen by some as the "nasty party". She told activists that vilifying gays, blacks and single mothers would hand votes to Labour and the Liberal Democrats.

"There's a lot we need to do in this party of ours. Our base is too narrow and so, occasionally, are our sympathies," Mrs May said.

"You know what some people call us – the nasty party. You know that's unfair but it's the people out there we need to convince – and we can only do that by avoiding behaviour and attitudes that play into the hands of our opponents. No more glib moralising, no more hypocritical finger-wagging."

Mrs May also warned activists to stop appealing to some "mythical place called Middle England" and to represent the whole of Britain including single mothers, gays, blacks and young people.

"The truth is that as our country has become more diverse, our party has remained the same," she said.

"We should not underestimate the extent of this problem. Ask yourselves: how can we truly claim to be the Party of Britain, when we don't truly represent Britain in our party?"

Mrs May attracted loud applause when she warned that the failure to elect more Tory women MPs was a travesty.

At the last general election only one of the 38 new Tory MPs was a woman and none were from ethnic minorities.

She urged constituencies choosing candidates to be more open-minded about what makes the best candidate but she stopped short of calling for the introduction of quotas.

Mrs May said the party was obsessed with recreating a lost era. "Our party is at its best when it takes Conservative principles and applies them to the modern world. It is at its worst when it tries to recreate a bygone age," she said. "We cannot bring back the past. We can work together to make today and tomorrow's world a better place."

Yesterday, Oliver Letwin, the shadow Home Secretary, warned that the Tories "look weird" and must attract a broader cross-section of people if they are to break through at the ballot box.

Speaking at a fringe meeting organised by the Commission for Racial Equality, he said the Tories needed a programme of "special measures" to bring women and people from ethnic minorities into the party.