Join us as we set Conservatism back on the right course
Two years ago today, the Conservative Party celebrated our biggest majority at an election since Margaret Thatcher. Millions of people across the country were inspired by our message of hope and unity and they placed their faith in us – in many instances for the first time in a generation.
I am filled with sorrow to see us squandering this goodwill and trust.
Across a range of issues, today’s Conservative Party is in the wrong place and heading in the opposite direction of Conservatism.
Conservatives know that state interventions of any kind can have harmful consequences – this is precisely what makes us Conservative in the first place. Conservative governing is about unleashing and enabling the vast potential, generosity, wisdom, energy and talent of individuals in community. Yet before knowing the extent to which the omicron variant will escape vaccines or cause harm, the Government is panicking and rushing to impose restrictions again, causing mental anguish and precipitating huge damage to swathes of our economy which bring meaning to our lives, our families and our friendships.
If we panic every time there is a new variant, we will make entire sections of our society uninvestable, such as airlines, hospitality and tourism: many of the things that give us joy, hope and something to look forward to.
These industries will collapse if, having protected the population with vaccines, we do not return to the stability, certainty and predictability in our lives which will come from living with Covid as we have long lived with the flu – the Conservative approach.
Yet today the Prime Minister is treading the dangerous path of introducing domestic Covid certification. Of course, I will vote against all measures on Tuesday. But I cannot in good conscience stop there when we are falling into such a ghastly trap, creating a two-tier Britain where we turn back the clock and tolerate businesses turning away customers from communities which have shown an unfortunate hesitancy to take up the offer of a vaccine.
This debate goes to the heart of the nature of the society that we are creating. Conservatives don’t create societies where people must live and work in fear that a minister might, without notice, impose restrictions on them. They create societies with freedom and hope.
Conservatives don’t treat us as empty vessels or mere automata, as problems to be managed, but as individuals who deserve the dignity of choice and the meaning in our lives that comes from taking responsibility in all our relationships. This is what levelling up ought to be about.
Conservatives shouldn’t limit the ability of young people to get on the housing ladder, yet we’re doing precisely this by allowing Government to spend far too much taxpayers’ money. When the Government creates excess money through quantitative easing, ultra-low interest rates and credit expansion, it inflates the price of assets for those who own them, making them more unreachable for everybody else. Conservatives should be protecting and lifting up the poor and the young, not the owners of inflated assets.
Conservatism is about passing a better legacy on to the next generation. Age-related spending is only heading in one direction, and placing greater burdens on young, working-age populations is unjust and morally wrong. Parents and grandparents must be encouraged to help create a more hopeful and joyful future for their children and grandchildren, with lower taxes on those still building their lives and their assets.
Conservatives want to save and protect the planet from global warming, but they also know that all radical Government-mandated solutions need scrutiny, sober debate and frankness with the public about how much they will cost. Otherwise, as with the cycles of lockdowns and restrictions, it will be society’s poorest and most vulnerable – neglected entirely by the Labour Party – who will suffer the most harm as a result.
On race relations and culture, we have been too hard-edged, failing to speak to those who still suffer racism even in our exceptionally equal and open society. Of course we must defeat cancel culture and the idea of critical race theory, but we won’t do it by slapping down footballers who are protesting against injustice.
Worthwhile equality stems from mutual respect, fairness, openmindedness and tolerance – and listening and learning from each other. Our party needs a more inclusive and humble way forward which is resolutely committed to the moral, legal and political equality of everyone and which insists on equal opportunity irrespective of skin colour.
Instead of pursuing freedom under the law, ill-thought-through state impositions on our lives are becoming more widespread, more minute and more frequent. We need a future fit for the people of this country, which is why today I am announcing that I will be relaunching Conservative Way Forward to redefine the territory on which the Conservative Party operates.
This country can become still more prosperous and successful, but we won’t do it by carrying on with centre-Left policies. Conservatives must lead with both humility and fierce resolve, making the case for policies that solve the real, practical difficulties in people’s lives, in a way that prioritises freedom and responsibility. Today I am encouraging Conservative Party members and the wider public to join us as we begin to seek to create a new movement at conservativewayforward.com.
It is time for us all to ask fundamental questions about the sort of country and society we want to become as we set about enabling individuals and families to live their best life in right relationship with others, in a healthy society which can provide meaning and fulfilment for everyone.
‘Conservatives don’t treat us as mere automata, but as individuals who deserve the dignity of choice’