Our Mission

The Conservative Party is at its strongest when it is a truly nationwide movement with an appeal which reaches broadly across different sections of society, uniting people in very different circumstances behind the common goal of building a better life for themselves, their families and their communities. Recognition of this runs deep through our party’s history: from Disraeli’s appeal for One Nation, a common thread unites Noel Skelton’s property-owning democracy via Harold Macmillan’s ‘A Plea for National Unity’ and Heseltine’s passion for urban regeneration to Boris’ rousing 2019 rallying cry to Level Up.

 

This important strand of Conservative thought should not be seen as a pet topic of mavericks or the preserve of ‘wets’. We can all agree that meritocracy is a core conservative value, and meaningful meritocracy requires that where someone comes from should not dictate what they can become. Education policy obviously has a huge part to play (and we should robustly defend the success of the last government in this area), but we should also pay attention to the opportunities available to young people in their steps into the adult world: employment options, getting on the housing ladder and starting a family. Where (or when!) you were born should not be a barrier to success and the idea that those who work hard and do the right thing should be able to get on in life is not only essential to making the case for capitalism but is also a central tenet of the common ground of British politics. There is also a strong economic case for a concerted effort to unlock the untapped growth potential of all regions of our United Kingdom - an essential prerequisite of any sustainable route to lower tax conservatism.

 

Whole Nation Conservatives seek to provide a platform to explore and discuss all aspects of this inclusive perspective of conservatism. We want to explore the history of this school of thought, why articulating a Whole Nation vision effectively matters electorally and how using it as a touch point for policy making can deliver economic and social benefits. We are interested in what has worked internationally and at local scale, fresh ideas which could enable the private sector to play a bigger part in allowing more people to ‘stay local and go far’ and how public decision making could be envisaged to reduce the unusual dominance of London in our national economy (by strengthening other regions rather than pulling the capital down!). We believe that it is vital that our party does not abandon the mission which saw so many communities put their faith in us for the first time in 2019, but also to tell a clearer story about how supporting these areas to succeed benefits the whole country.

 

At the outset of our journey, we will publish a weekly original article from one of our team or a guest contributor. This will be the centrepiece of our weekly newsletter, which will also feature a round up of relevant news stories. We hope to be able to add to this offer over time and would invite others who share an interest in giving a strong voice to our agenda to contact us and get involved!