Formation | 2020 |
---|---|
President | Edward Leigh |
Chairman | John Hayes |
Vice Chairman | Tom Hunt |
Parent organisation | Conservative Party |
The Common Sense Group is an informal group of MPs in the British Conservative Party. TheGuardian described it as a hard-right group that was sympathetic to culture wars. [1] It was created in 2020, inspired by the European Research Group, a Eurosceptic Conservative faction. In 2021, it published a manifesto, Common Sense: Conservative Thinking for a Post-Liberal Age.
The Common Sense Group was created in mid-2020. By November, it included 59 MPs and seven members of the House of Lords. [2] Its president is Edward Leigh MP. [3]
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 [ broken anchor ] agenda". [4]
The group's manifesto, Common Sense: Conservative Thinking for a Post-Liberal Age, was published in May 2021. [5] 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: [4] [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 MP is a British Conservative Party politician who has served as the 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.
No Turning Back is a group within the British Conservative Party advocating Thatcherite policies. It was founded in 1985 to defend Margaret Thatcher's free-market reforms. The group was named in honour of Thatcher's 1980 Conservative conference quote "U-turn if you want to. The lady's not for turning." No Turning Back published less material in the nineties and became involved in Conservative party in-fighting, resulting in both Michael Portillo and Francis Maude leaving the group, but became more prominent during Iain Duncan Smith's time as Conservative leader because he had been a member until he was elected.
Robin Granville Hodgson, Baron Hodgson of Astley Abbotts, is a British Conservative Party politician and life peer.
Gareth Andrew Bacon is a British politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Orpington since 2019. He was Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Sentencing from November 2023 to July 2024. He has been Shadow Minister for London and a Shadow Minister of State for Justice since July 2024.
Craig Mackinlay is a Conservative Party politician and businessman. From 2015 to 2024, he was the last Member of Parliament (MP) for South Thanet.
Andrew Iain Lewer is a British Conservative Party politician, who served as the Member of Parliament for Northampton South from 2017 to 2024, and as Member of the European Parliament for the East Midlands from 2014 to 2017.
William Peter Wragg, also known as Willy Wragg is a British politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Hazel Grove in Greater Manchester from 2015 to 2024. As a member of the Conservative Party, he previously served as a vice-chairman of its 1922 Committee. From April 2024 until parliament was dissolved in May 2024, he sat as an independent.
The European Research Group (ERG) is a research support group and caucus of Eurosceptic Conservative Members of Parliament of the United Kingdom. The journalist Sebastian Payne described it in the Financial Times as "the most influential [research group] in recent political history".
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 served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Dudley North from 2019 to 2024.
Christopher Lionel John Loder Is a British Conservative politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for West Dorset from 2019 to 2024.
Jonathan Edward Gullis is a British politician and former teacher who served as a Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party from March to July 2024 and previously served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Stoke-on-Trent North from 2019 to 2024. 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.
James Sunderland is a British Conservative politician and former military officer who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Bracknell between 2019 and 2024.
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 was a right wing Conservative think tank associated with the Institute of Economic Affairs, launched in September 2021. It has been described as a successor to the Free Enterprise Group set up by Liz Truss