General Election 2019: new intake of Conservative MPs shifts the balance of the party in favour of youth
They include Dehenna Davison, 26, the MP for Bishop Auckland whose father was murdered when she was teenager
The new intake of Conservative MPs shifts the balance of the party in favour of youth - and Brexit.
Among the 108 new MPs from the governing party are eight who are under 30, a cohort nicknamed "Boris' babies" who want to present a fresher, socially liberal face for the Tories.
They include Dehenna Davison, 26, the MP for Bishop Auckland whose father was murdered when she was teenager and who found fame on reality TV with her then-husband who is 34 years her senior.
Antony Higginbotham in Burnley, Redcar's Jacob Young and Elliot Colburn in Carshalton & Wallington, all in their 20s, are three of the party's 21 openly LGBT MPs - across Parliament there are at least 46, the most of any legislature in the world.
Bad behaviour
But some of the new intake have already managed to embarrass their party. Ashfield MP Lee Anderson and Sally-Ann Hart, who replaced Amber Rudd in Hastings & Rye, have both been accusing of anti-Semitic behaviour and Ms Hart is currently under investigation by Tory bosses.
Boris Johnson will not face the same struggle with his backbenchers as Theresa May had, thanks to his substantial majority - and the promise by all 365 Conservative MPs to support his Withdrawal Agreement as it passes through Parliament.
But with substantial obstacles ahead, it is still possible that in the coming years the Prime Minister will have to grapple with a new "awkward squad" of rebels, whether from the Brexiteer right or the One Nation wing of the party.
Bernard Jenkin, a leading member of the hardline European Research Group, filed a warning shot for Mr Johnson over the weekend, saying: "The Remain left are now promoting a false idea that the big majority means the ERG can be isolated and ignored. Without the ERG, Theresa May’s Brexit deal would have got through and she would still be PM."
Honeymoon period
The liberal, pro-European contingent of Conservative MPs has shrunk after the election: a large number of prominent figures such as Dominic Grieve, Ken Clarke, Nicholas Soames, Philip Hammond and David Gauke have all either stepped down or lost their seats after clashing with Mr Johnson.
But other centrist MPs who have so far remained loyal to the Prime Minister could start putting pressure on him if he tacks too far to the right on issues such as crime or immigration. The likes of Damian Green, Tom Tugendhat, Greg Clark and defeated leadership contender Jeremy Hunt retain a following in the party.
Mr Johnson is likely to enjoy a honeymoon period which could last two years or more. But faced with massive challenges over the economy, climate change and Britain's place in the world, he will still have to be on his guard if he wants to survive a full term unscathed.
General Election 2019
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