In three consecutive leadership contests, One Nation candidates failed to reach the final two. That is not bad luck or factional bias. It is a rejection of moderation without muscle.
Draw up a proper plan which directly explains what we (and Labour) got wrong and what we will do differently to fix it. This will mean making difficult and unpopular changes. We have to find some way mitigating the deep antipathy towards us.
It would be absurd to attribute all the flaws and mistakes of our time in Government to bad people who somehow didn’t care about controlling public spending or immigration.
Few of the revenants rallying behind Prosper UK’s grave-linen standard need much explaining. Most were backers or beneficiaries of David Cameron’s ‘modernisation’ efforts; they were, almost definitionally, the future. Now they’re not.
Metro-mayoralties were meant to cultivate leadership beyond Westminster. The role was introduced with the hope of attracting innovative outsiders—operators and builders with strong local leadership.
If we retreat into the comfort of 2010s nostalgia, we will abandon the future to the radicals who are waiting to fill the void.
Prosper UK wants to give voice to a yearning for politics that is serious, realistic, and pragmatic. Focused on the economy and willing to face up to trade-offs. That understands that business matters, as does credibility with investors.
Andy Street and Ruth Davidson are set to launch a new political ‘movement’ from within the Conservative Party.
In the commercial world, scarcity is seen as the mother of innovation, and the same opportunity exists with mayors. They need to be policy innovation leaders, trialling new ideas that can be scaled across the country.
Despite a terrible record over the years, Labour has retained a near hegemony in Welsh politics. They did this through “governing from opposition”, taking credit for everything that goes right in the devolved field, but blaming those who aren’t responsible when things go wrong.
The right Tory candidates could use the role to shape an alternative vision to Labour, show that Tories can be competent and deliver, that we can change some of the things that voters think aren’t working. Some mayors have, in parts of their remit, more leeway than a government minister.
Former West Midlands mayor Andy Street urges the business secretary to “get that tariff reduced” as “jobs depend on this outcome”.
Only Turkey has a more centralised system of government than England among OECD countries. There is now cross-party consensus to address this democratic deficiency.
We must select a regional candidate soon, so the next three years can be spent on reinvigorating our Conservatism locally and building a solid base to represent the interests of the region as a whole.
The centre has moved. Prosper UK are stuck in the 2010 era, and in denial about how much the political landscape has changed. We can be economically focused while also speaking clearly about immigration and net zero.