Formation | Summer 2018 |
---|---|
President | Edward Leigh |
Chairman | John Hayes |
Vice Chairman | Tom Hunt |
Parent organisation | Conservative Party |
The Common Sense Group is an informal group of MP s in the British Conservative Party. TheGuardian described it as a hard-right group that was sympathetic to culture wars. [1]
The group was inspired by the euro-sceptic European Research Group and has published a book, Common Sense: Conservative Thinking for a Post-Liberal Age. [2] [3]
The Guardian said in November 2020 that the group "launched quietly in the summer with about 40 members ... and now has 59 MPs and 7 members of the House of Lords in its ranks". [2] Its president is Edward Leigh MP. [4]
Following an interim report on the connections between colonialism and properties now in the care of the National Trust, including links with historic slavery, members of the group signed a letter to The Telegraph in November 2020. The letter accused the National Trust of being "coloured by cultural Marxist dogma, colloquially known as the woke agenda". [5]
The group's manifesto, Common Sense: Conservative Thinking for a Post-Liberal Age, was published in May 2021. [3] John Hayes MP wrote in the Preface, "With opportunities provided by Brexit, the time for a refreshed national conversation on the defining issues of our time – nationhood, community, migration, the rule of law and public order – is now." [6] [7]
Members of the group include: [5] [6]
Members of Parliament:
Members of the House of Lords:
Others:
Lee Anderson was formerly a member of the group, prior to his defection to Reform UK.
Peter Bruce Lilley, Baron Lilley, PC is a British politician and life peer who served as a cabinet minister in the governments of Margaret Thatcher and John Major. A member of the Conservative Party, he was Member of Parliament (MP) Hitchin and Harpenden from 1997 to 2017 and, prior to boundary changes, St Albans from 1983.
Andrew Richard Rosindell is a British politician who has served as the Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) for Romford since 2001.
John Rhodes Horam, Baron Horam is a Conservative politician in the United Kingdom. He represented three parties in Parliament – originally Labour, he defected to the SDP on its foundation in 1981, then to the Conservatives in 1987 – and served as a Minister in both Labour and Conservative Governments. On 4 September 2013, he was created a working life peer as Baron Horam of Grimsargh in the County of Lancashire. He is a founder and vice chair of the Common Sense Group of Conservative Parliamentarians.
The Bow Group is a UK-based think tank promoting conservative opinion. Founded in 1951, it is the oldest group of its kind, counting many senior Conservative Party MPs and peers among its members. It represents a forum for political debate with its varied programme of events and official journal.
The Cornerstone Group is a High Tory or traditional conservative political organisation within the British Conservative Party. It comprises Members of Parliament with a traditionalist outlook and was founded in 2005. The Group's president is Edward Leigh and its chairman John Hayes. Many Conservative Party Members of Parliament and Peers belong to the Cornerstone Group, including several members of His Majesty's Government.
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Since the foundation of the Conservative Party in 1834, there have been numerous instances of antisemitism in the party, from both Conservative party leaders and other party figures.
Marco Andrea Longhi is a British Conservative Party politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Dudley North since 2019.
Christopher Lionel John Loder is a British politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for West Dorset since the 2019 general election. A member of the Conservative Party, he succeeded Sir Oliver Letwin, who was first elected as a Conservative in 1997 but sat as an independent after having the whip removed in September 2019 and did not stand for reelection. The West Dorset constituency can be considered a safe seat, having only ever elected Conservative MPs.
Jonathan Edward Gullis is a British politician and former teacher who has served as a Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party since 26 March 2024 and as Member of Parliament (MP) for Stoke-on-Trent North since the 2019 general election. He was previously appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for School Standards by Liz Truss in September 2022 but was dismissed shortly after Rishi Sunak became Prime Minister in October 2022. In March 2024, Gullis was appointed Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party, replacing Luke Hall who had been appointed Minister of State for Skills, Apprenticeships and Higher Education.
This is a list of public endorsements for declared candidates for the July–September 2022 leadership election for the Conservative Party of the United Kingdom.
The Free Market Forum is a Right-Wing Conservative think tank associated with the Institute of Economic Affairs, launched in September 2022.