New Conservatives (UK)

Last updated

New Conservatives
President John Hayes
Chairpersons Danny Kruger
Miriam Cates
Founded21 May 2023;2 years ago (2023-05-21)
Ideology National conservatism
Social conservatism [1]
Euroscepticism
Political position Right-wing [1]
National affiliation Conservative Party
Colours  Blue
Website
www.thenewconservatives.co.uk [ dead link ]

The New Conservatives was a parliamentary group of predominantly red wall [2] Conservative MPs created in May 2023, who aimed to shape the Conservative Party's policies ahead of the 2024 United Kingdom general election. [3] Politico described the group as having 25 members in July 2023. [4] All but three members lost their seats in the election, and the group has been inactive since the election.

Contents

History

The group was created on Sunday, 21 May 2023, [3] [5] and has no official leader, although the co-founders, the former Penistone and Stocksbridge MP Miriam Cates and the former Devizes MP Danny Kruger are the chairs behind the initiative. [3] [6]

In October 2023, the group proposed banning "gender ideology" within state schools as one of their platforms. [7]

In November 2023, it was reported by Sky News that the group had met to discuss Suella Braverman potentially "making a play" for a Conservative party leadership. [8]

Policies

The group described itself as wishing to return to the Conservative Party's 2019 manifesto. [9] Politico by cutting immigration to below 226,000, as well as focusing on law and order and to tackle perceived bias in education. [10]

10-point policy

The New Conservatives' primary goals are listed in their 10-point plan, which consists of the following: [11]

  1. Closing temporary schemes that grant work visa eligibility for care workers and senior care workers.
  2. Raising the minimum income required to gain a skilled work visa.
  3. Extending the closure of the student dependant route.
  4. Closing the graduate route to students.
  5. Reserving university Study Visas for the brightest international students.
  6. Monitoring the reduction in visa applications under the humanitarian schemes.
  7. Implementing the provisions of the Illegal Migration Bill rapidly.
  8. Capping the number of refugees legally accepted for resettlement in the UK.
  9. Raising the minimum combined income threshold for sponsoring a spouse and raising the minimum language requirement.
  10. Capping the amount of social housing that councils may assign to non-UK nationals.

Membership

ParliamentComposition
2024 (at dissolution)
24 / 345

Prior to the general election, the group was made up of 24 Conservative MPs; [3] [12] [13] only three members retained their seats.

Unless otherwise mentioned, all members in this table were first elected to parliament in 2019 and defeated in their bid for reelection in 2024.

MPConstituencyNotes
Miriam Cates Penistone and Stocksbridge Founding member [6]
Danny Kruger Devizes Founding member. [6] Successfully reelected in 2024 for successor constituency East Wiltshire.
Jonathan Gullis Stoke-on-Trent North Conservative party deputy chairman
Alexander Stafford Rother Valley
Nick Fletcher Don Valley
Sarah Atherton Wrexham
Tom Hunt Ipswich
Gareth Bacon Orpington Successfully reelected in 2024.
Duncan Baker North Norfolk
Paul Bristow Peterborough
Brendan Clarke-Smith Bassetlaw
James Daly Bury North
Anna Firth Southend West First elected in 2022
Chris Green Bolton West First elected in 2015
Eddie Hughes Walsall North First elected in 2017
Mark Jenkinson Workington
Andrew Lewer Northampton South First elected in 2017
Marco Longhi Dudley North
Robin Millar Aberconwy
Lia Nici Great Grimsby
John Hayes South Holland and The Deepings President of group, [14] elected 1997. Successfully reelected in 2024.
Lee Anderson Ashfield Defected to Reform UK in March 2024 and reelected for Reform in 2024

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Sparrow, Andrew (11 March 2024). "Both Labour and group of Conservative MPs say Lee Anderson defection highlights Tory failings – as it happened". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 May 2024. The New Conservatives, a group of rightwing, socially conservative MPs ...
  2. ↑ Walker, Peter (3 July 2023). "New Conservatives' immigration policy raises questions over Sunak's authority". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 3 July 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Langford, Eleanor (3 July 2023). "The 'New Conservatives' and their 12-point plan to pressure Rishi Sunak on migration, explained". inews.co.uk. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
  4. ↑ "Meet the New Conservatives giving Rishi Sunak a migration headache". POLITICO. 3 July 2023. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
  5. ↑ Langford, Eleanor (21 May 2023). "New Tory lobby group to pressure Sunak on migration ahead of expected record figures". inews.co.uk. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
  6. 1 2 3 "Who are the New Conservatives?". Yahoo News. 3 July 2023. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
  7. ↑ "New Conservatives group demands migration curbs and school 'gender ideology' ban". Worcester News. 2 October 2023. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
  8. ↑ "Reshuffle latest: Braverman sacking 'not over protests article - it was homelessness comments'". Sky News. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
  9. ↑ "Tory MPs issue plan for Rishi Sunak to slash migration". BBC News. 3 July 2023. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
  10. ↑ "Meet the New Conservatives giving Rishi Sunak a migration headache". POLITICO. 3 July 2023. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
  11. ↑ "Politics UK". Twitter. 3 July 2023. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  12. ↑ "Meet the New Conservatives giving Rishi Sunak a migration headache". POLITICO. 3 July 2023. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
  13. ↑ "Who are the Popular Conservatives - and how do they compare to other Tory movements?". Sky News. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
  14. ↑ Cunliffe, Rachel (9 March 2024). "John Hayes: "Tory voters want full-fat Conservatism"". New Statesman. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
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