Tory MP James Cleverly ridiculed for blaming 'the country we inherited from Labour' for Boris Johnson's failings

Conservative MP for Braintree James Cleverly appeared on BBC Breakfast this morning to discuss the party conference, which will be held remotely this weekend.

Cleverly opened by explaining that it's a "very different type of conference" but that "much of what people want from conference – to interact with ministers, to learn about what's going on..." will still be possible in a virtual space.

Interviewer Naga Munchetti went on to suggest that it would also need to be "a PR exercise" for the party given latest approval polls show that 57 per cent of the population think Boris Johnson is doing badly, compared to just 23 per cent in April.

Cleverly responded by highlighting the "unprecedented set of circumstances", and claiming the government was meeting its targets on recruiting nurses and police officers.

When pushed though, he struggled to answer the question posed, and fell back on "infrastructure" and "building back better". Perhaps sensing he wasn't quite getting his point across, Cleverly tried to sneak in one last point, saying that the Tories were:

Getting on with the things we said we would do to repair the country we inherited from Labour.

Munchetty glossed over the bizarre comment, perhaps because it doesn't sound all that remarkable on the face of it. Until, that is, you remember that Labour has not been in power for a decade.

People were quick to point out how absurd it was to blame a party which last ran the country 10 years and three prime ministers ago for Boris Johnson's low approval ratings today.

While others suggested that it wasn't the Labour government's legacy we are still recovering from.

Perhaps it's time for the party to update its talking points? No one can live in 2010 forever...