As Chairman, whilst you are an attack dog, you are also in charge of the very beating heart of the Conservative Party. You cannot fix the long-term issues which face both the professional party and the grassroots without a long-term Chairman.
If we are to make this year the point from when we rise again, and the latest case study in the Conservative Party bouncing back from a historic low, then we need to forge a new determination in this time of adversity. Conservatism matters for our country.
We do not have a divine right to govern; we have to earn it as our forebears did. We have been here before and it means doubling down and working harder.
In 2025, elections in areas where we still have great strength – over 1300 sitting councillors to begin with – mean we can be sure of making an impact on the ground.
Do we need an “Approved List”? Should defeated MPs be automatically approved? And assessors also need to be assessed. They should expect confidentiality, but their decisions need to be reviewable.
Having worked with over 150 people going through the process, it was clearly professional and fair, but it lacked two things: A more thorough examination of Conservative values and beliefs, and speed.
I always open regional conferences by saying that whenever we Tories get together, we solve problems together…a process which one senior activist imaginatively describes as “cross-wobbling”
Reform of the party is on the agenda of whoever wins the leadership. The key is to really ask what is Conference for, and for whom and I’m not convinced the party has always got the answer to either question right.
ConservativeHome wishes him well in his efforts at representing party members at the heart of CCHQ.
Burke, the great Conservative, said “a state without the means of some change is without the means of its conservation”. He might just as well have been referring to a political party.
It’s a key leadership role, representing the membership with a seat on the Party Board. But most members are only vaguely aware it exists; unlike the party leadership election, there is no hustings.
The current arrangements were a sop to activists by CCHQ as it seized control of selections, the conference, and so much more in 1998.
If elected I will work with CCHQ and our members to support the right campaigning resources in the right places, across the UK.
The voluntary party needs a champion. I will ask your views before making decisions, whenever a matter of significance arises.
Some will warn this would create division and weaken the leader. In truth, it would create trust, as everyone is on the same team albeit with different responsibilities. Leaders come and go, but the [arty endures.