Tory leadership election shows 'Nasty Party' is back – Lesley Laird

As was to be expected, Boris Johnson topped the poll of Tory MPs to become the next Prime Minister. He’ll be joined by Jeremy Hunt in the final two and, for once, the thought of Mr Hunt as Prime Minister doesn’t sound too bad when compared to Mr Johnson.

Don't be fooled. Boris Johnson is no comedy character, says Lesley Laird

That being said, there’s something else that we can take away from these results – that the nasty party are well and truly back.

It speaks volumes that Tory MPs have just endorsed a man who said Muslim women looked like letterboxes and that African people have watermelon smiles to be our next Prime Minister.

Of course, it will be for the Tory membership to decide who is coroneted as Prime Minister, and that is the crux of the problem that we face. Just over 100,000 Tories will determine the fate and future direction of the country. Surely that can’t be right?

Yet that is where we find ourselves. If it wasn’t so frightening, it would be funny.

Is that a record that should land you the most coveted job in politics? Is that a record that inspires confidence among the general public? Is that a record that will make our friends in the EU take us seriously? No, it’s far from it. It’s a record that should have resulted in him being given his P45 and in any other job that would certainly have been the outcome.

However, there is one thing it absolutely confirms amongst the madness of today’s politics – that we need a General Election more than ever.

Lesley Laird MP is Labour's Shadow Scottish Secretary