By Richard Fuller, the Conservative Party’s new Chairman.
The people have not abandoned Conservative values, but the Conservative party must represent them more clearly as a political force that resonates with the aspiration of every generation and every corner of our country, says new Party Chairman.
It is just over a week since the Conservative party fell into opposition. For all of us in the party, this has been disappointing and frustrating, and for many, there understandably is anger.
But the British people have spoken, and we will work hard as His Majesty’s Loyal Opposition to hold this Labour Government to account.
We owe it to those Members of Parliament that did not come back, we owe it to the members and party activists who campaigned day in and day out and, most of all, we owe it to the country.
We need to rebuild the party and we need to rebuild the trust of the country in our party.
We need to rebuild the party and we need to rebuild the trust of the country in our party.
In many ways we lost this election not because of our record of delivery over the last 14 years – protecting wages, protecting pensioners, improving education, saving jobs during the Covid pandemic, standing up for Ukraine – we lost this election because of how we conducted ourselves.
I was fortunate to be returned to Parliament but the message from my constituency about the last Parliament was loud and clear: “You have focused too much on yourselves and have let the country down.” I am sure a similar message was heard up and down the country.
We have learnt this the hard way. Now we must be ready to adapt so we can begin the process of regaining the trust of the public.
Since being appointed as party chairman, I have announced a review into the general election and, more broadly, into the party. I want people across the party to have the chance to say what worked, what didn’t and how we can improve.
My aim is to rebuild as a centre-Right party, restitched into the fabric of our nation, confident in our conservative principles and dedicated to the enhancement of the lives of our citizens.
The new leader will be at the centre of this rebuild, and the timetable for the leadership contest will be set out shortly.
The foundation of the Conservative party is its membership. That is why I am clear that members must have the final decision on our next leader.
The foundation of the Conservative party is its membership. That is why I am clear that members must have the final decision on our next leader.
Over the coming months, I will be meeting members and supporters to take in their advice and hopes so I can communicate these thoughts clearly to the new leader.
The resounding message from Conservative MPs last week was that the candidates for the leadership of the Party need to conduct their campaigns positively. The Chief Whip and I will be meeting each contender to insist on this.
Conservative MPs know that if the contest turns into a war of words with candidates fighting with each other rather than outlining their view on the best way forward, we will be taking another step back from regaining the trust of the country. We simply do not have the political capital to waste.
If this doesn’t happen, it will not just be Conservatives in Parliament who will feel let down, but the many Conservative council candidates, who, in recent years have lost their seats or lost their majorities in councils in large part because they had to carry the can for the failings of the parliamentary party.
My third priority is to ensure the focus of our campaigning turns towards our council elections, providing the help from the centre that they need to win their elections.
When socialism takes hold in Westminster, it is more important than ever that Conservative councils are there to improve local services and to protect the wallets of council taxpayers.
When socialism takes hold in Westminster, it is more important than ever that Conservative councils are there to improve local services and to protect the wallets of council taxpayers.
The Conservative party faces a set of significant challenges. There is no point ignoring them or wishing them away. These challenges must be addressed and solutions found. Some of these may require radical change, the development of new skills or creating new priorities. We have to have the courage to act decisively.
Challenges indeed, but strengths as well. Strength in our principles. Strength in a set of conservative values that have proven their resonance with the British people for generations. I still believe strongly that we are a conservative country.
The people have not abandoned those values, but the Conservative party must represent them more clearly as a political force that resonates with the aspiration of every generation and every corner of our country.
As a team, our supporters, our members, our activists, councillors, MPs and headquarters staff, are a formidable force. United by purpose, there is no limit to what we can achieve.
Richard Fuller is the interim chairman of the Conservative party and the Conservative Member of Parliament for North Bedfordshire. Follow Richard on Facebook here.
This article was first published in the Telegraph on 14 July 2024. With thanks for kind permission from CCHQ to republish on the Conservative Post.
“we lost this election not because of our record of delivery over the last 14 years”
Really?
Immigration from 200k to 750k
Taxes through the roof
Wokery and media bias rife
Etc etc
That’s just policy. The voters see a parliamentary party inested with “one nation” socialists pretending to be conservative. There’s no rebuild until they are gone. How? See the series of articles in Con Home (which is generally a lefty rag these days) – the articles by John Strafford and otehrs are worth a read:
– Associations select their candidates (and can recall them if they do not do as expected)
– MPs select the leader
The MPs need to be behind the leader – and since the associations should be ensuring that they are all conservatives, there shouldn’t be a problem with the members not having a say in this. The selecton of candidates is your biggest problem by far.
It wasn’t broke, until Cameron tried to fix it. The invention of CCHQ and the power grab for central control of the party was the problem, it needs to be undone – but expecting politicians to let go of power is like expecting woodland-dwelling bears to start using toilets. It won’t happen, which is why the Conservative Party is now defunct – who would trust you, after all the broken promises and leaders knifed in the back? Your 1922 rules are another joke – 15% of MPs is a tiny threshold to destroy a leader’s authority, especially when they’ve been infltrated as the Conservative Party has.
14 years of refusing to even try to implement your manifesto – except on the one issue nobody wanted: net zero. Why would anyone trust you? Policy statements in opposition are meaningless at the best of times, but with your track record and structural problems, they are not even worth the pixels they are transmitted on. Why are NONE of you saying this?
If you can’t see this