Ben Schofield/BBCPeterborough’s Conservatives lost the leadership of the city council in the past 12 months and elected new Labor councilors by 118 votes.
During the customary curry night, party members and councilors admitted it had been a difficult time.
Across the country, as the Conservative Party chooses between Kemi Badenock and Robert Jenrick, supporters have shared the qualities they are looking for in a leader and who can lead them to victory.
Ben Schofield/BBCJanet Wilkinson has been in the Conservative Party for 24 years but recently said it has not been easy.
“We’ve been through so much trauma over the past few years,” she told the BBC.
“With all the leadership changes and everything, I became a little bit disillusioned.”
She added that the conflict within the party, “particularly on the Westminster side”, had “become ridiculous – to a lot of people ridiculous”.
Ms Wilkinson, 58, is one of dozens of people who attend the Conservative Party’s regular curry nights in Peterborough.
At the city’s Bombay Bistro, three tables were occupied by MPs, party members and supporters.
A WhatsApp message inviting people to the event asked if they were “Badenoch Balti” or “Jenrick Jalfrezi”.
Ms Wilkinson is undecided but hopes someone can bring the party “back together”.
“Changing leaders every five minutes – that’s definitely not a good thing for a party,” she said.
“I’m still hanging on and standing by my beliefs because I think the long-term view is more important than the bad things that have happened recently.”
According to others on Curry Night, the “bad things” include broken promises while in government and losing the trust of voters.
Ben Schofield/BBCCouncilor Wayne Fitzgerald leads the Peterborough City Council caucus.
He backed Newark MP Robert Jenrick but said the gap between the two “capable and competent” candidates was “so small”.
Fitzgerald says Jenrick’s proposal Leave quickly The European Convention on Human Rights tips the balance and will help develop “smart migration policies”.
“I will make it very clear that I support immigration, but immigration is the right thing to do and is given to the right people who come here and want to work and contribute to our society,” he explained.
“[Tory problems are] A mixture of things, but that’s probably what’s most important in most people’s minds.
“Especially when you look at the reformists and the propaganda they have put out to our voters, they may have abandoned us – and rightly so – because the Conservative Party has let the country down. It has made promises that it has not kept. “
Ben Schofield/BBCBut for MP Steve Allen, Jenrick “is a little too polarizing in his views”.
Allen, 76, said he would vote for North West Essex MP Kemi Badenoch but would prefer another candidate.
He said Braintree MP James Cleverley “stole the show” at the Conservative Party conference with a “brilliant speech”.
But Cleverley failed to make the final two as more MPs backed Jenrick and Badenock in previous rounds of voting.
Still, Allen said Badenock was a “class act.”
“What I liked about her was that she came up with recommendations for fixing the roof before we started putting furniture in the building,” he said.
“Find out what the problem is before we start developing clear policies.”
Ben Schofield/BBCAlan’s wife Jacqueline, a party member of eight years, also supports Badenock.
She spent hours on the phone canvassing on behalf of her campaign.
She said 16 of the 20 party members she called supported Badenock.
“She was described as aggressive,” Mrs Allen, 59, said.
“But I don’t think she’s afraid of questioning. She wants to solve problems, and her analysis is like a forensic one.
“So, what she did was open up a conversation that had been closed before.”
Ben Schofield/BBCCity Councilor Alex Rafiq, 39, has been considering immigration but has been tight-lipped about who he supports.
“I feel like one candidate has clearer policies and clearer issues, one of which is illegal immigration,” he said.
He was also disappointed that Cleverley failed to make the final ballot.
“I think we were probably shocked by the final two candidates, but the general consensus is that we will support whoever is chosen,” he added.
Ben Schofield/BBCBoth candidates have ministerial experience – Badenock served as business secretary in Rishi Sunak’s cabinet, while Jenrick served as housing and communities secretary in Boris Johnson’s government and later as immigration minister.
Deeshen Ruttun, 31, said Jenrick’s housing and immigration experience gave him a head start.
“If you look at areas that affect people as a whole, forget about political parties for a moment, I think he’s the one who’s more willing to address those issues. [issues],” he said.
Discussing the mood within the party, he said the party was moving forward “every step of the way” after the crushing defeat in the general election.
“The mood is better, obviously it’s a new beginning, let’s put it that way,” he continued.
“Now is the time to turn the page, choose the right leaders and move forward.”
