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Tory Action was a right-wing pressure group within the British Conservative Party, founded in November 1974 by George Kennedy Young and Airey Neave [1] and right-wing defectors from the Monday Club. [2]
It was a secretive outfit in which membership was only open to Conservative Party members of two or more years standing, although their 'Aims' simply say "paid-up members". Its published 'Aims' state that "we do not have a corporate creed and our membership holds a variety of views but most feel strongly on sound public finance, on the need for denationalisation, European Union reform, law and order, combatting subversion, halting the growth of the non-European population in the UK, and a repatriation programme."[ citation needed ]
It published a newsletter entitled The Round Robin. [3]
The group claimed to have a "country-wide network of Conservative office-holders and activists" and claimed credit for canvassing for Margaret Thatcher in her constituency for the 1979 General Election.[ citation needed ] In 1981, George Young claimed it had the support of at least 25 Conservative MPs, including Ronald Bell who had hosted a Tory Action reception in the House of Commons in December 1980. [3]
By 1990, the Tory Action Committee consisted of (Chairman) ?, Adrian Davies, Stephen Derry, Geoffrey W Bevan, Michael R Wheddon.[ citation needed ]
The group ceased activities in the early 1990s.
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