Richard Fuller MP is interim Conservative Party Chairman and Member of Parliament for North Bedfordshire.
I look forward to working with you, our members, activists, associations, councillors, peers, CCHQ staff and my parliamentary colleagues as we regroup and reflect on the results of the election.
The last few weeks have been tough. I know that we will all feel very disappointed, frustrated and on some measures angered by the outcome of the election. I know that many will have worked hard throughout a difficult campaign. I want to say thank you to all of you for your continued support.
The Conservative Party lost the support of millions of people across the country. We have been tempted to offer toward division rather than a common cause of Conservative principles to guide our decisions. But the message from many natural Conservative voters in my constituency was clear:
“Your Party has focused too much on yourselves, and forgot us and the British people.”
All of this has served as a distraction from our very real and powerful Conservative achievements for which we can and should be proud.
The triple lock slowly lifted many pensioners out of poverty. The living wage has raised the wages of the lowest paid workers and made work pay.
More recently we rolled out a furlough programme and business loans to support our economy through the Covid shock and were the first and fastest to roll out Covid vaccines. Whilst others wobbled, the UK distinctively stood shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine.
Whilst not forgetting the progress over the last 14 years. we must also look to the future. What matters now is that we learn the right lessons so that we can move forward as an effective Opposition.
Labour won the election and can govern easily with its majority. But their plans received little scrutiny during the campaign and we need to be an effective opposition to give their proposals the scrutiny they need.
Nor should we shrink from giving the same scrutiny to our own shortcomings. There might be some uncomfortable truths and tough conversations to be had, but it is important that we are honest with ourselves about where we need to adapt and improve. And this applies across every part of the Party – not just at CCHQ.
The Conservative Party will establish a thorough review of the general election campaign and a root-and-branch examination of the wider Conservative Party. This will look at what went wrong as well as what worked well. It will address problems that many within our party have been highlighting for some time.
I hope many of you will want to engage with it; more information about the timescale and composition of this review panel will be published once agreed by the Party Board.
The unprecedented size of Labour’s majority will worry many. So now, we will take up the crucial role of His Majesty’s Official Opposition professionally and effectively.
My leading objective is to have the party in the frame to be trusted by the British public to be their choice to govern at the next election. To achieve this will require all of us now to contribute, unite, and work together. The hard work begins now.
Richard Fuller MP is interim Conservative Party Chairman and Member of Parliament for North Bedfordshire.
I look forward to working with you, our members, activists, associations, councillors, peers, CCHQ staff and my parliamentary colleagues as we regroup and reflect on the results of the election.
The last few weeks have been tough. I know that we will all feel very disappointed, frustrated and on some measures angered by the outcome of the election. I know that many will have worked hard throughout a difficult campaign. I want to say thank you to all of you for your continued support.
The Conservative Party lost the support of millions of people across the country. We have been tempted to offer toward division rather than a common cause of Conservative principles to guide our decisions. But the message from many natural Conservative voters in my constituency was clear:
“Your Party has focused too much on yourselves, and forgot us and the British people.”
All of this has served as a distraction from our very real and powerful Conservative achievements for which we can and should be proud.
The triple lock slowly lifted many pensioners out of poverty. The living wage has raised the wages of the lowest paid workers and made work pay.
More recently we rolled out a furlough programme and business loans to support our economy through the Covid shock and were the first and fastest to roll out Covid vaccines. Whilst others wobbled, the UK distinctively stood shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine.
Whilst not forgetting the progress over the last 14 years. we must also look to the future. What matters now is that we learn the right lessons so that we can move forward as an effective Opposition.
Labour won the election and can govern easily with its majority. But their plans received little scrutiny during the campaign and we need to be an effective opposition to give their proposals the scrutiny they need.
Nor should we shrink from giving the same scrutiny to our own shortcomings. There might be some uncomfortable truths and tough conversations to be had, but it is important that we are honest with ourselves about where we need to adapt and improve. And this applies across every part of the Party – not just at CCHQ.
The Conservative Party will establish a thorough review of the general election campaign and a root-and-branch examination of the wider Conservative Party. This will look at what went wrong as well as what worked well. It will address problems that many within our party have been highlighting for some time.
I hope many of you will want to engage with it; more information about the timescale and composition of this review panel will be published once agreed by the Party Board.
The unprecedented size of Labour’s majority will worry many. So now, we will take up the crucial role of His Majesty’s Official Opposition professionally and effectively.
My leading objective is to have the party in the frame to be trusted by the British public to be their choice to govern at the next election. To achieve this will require all of us now to contribute, unite, and work together. The hard work begins now.