Backbench MPs normally have very little influence in how Government policy is made.
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There are now five research and lobby groups inside the parliamentary Conservative Party.
This comes after the European Research Group’s (ERG) success between 2016 and 2020.
The group of backbench MPs helped to remove Theresa May as Prime Minister and the ‘Irish backstop’ from the Brexit Withdrawal agreement, under Boris Johnson.
This is the first time so many clearly defined one issue organisations have existed in the parliamentary party.
Who are these new groups and what do they want?
-The China Research Group (led by Tom Tugendhat and Neil O’Brien MP)
Formed in April 2020. They want the Government to have a more robust foreign policy towards China.
-The Covid Recovery Group (led by Mark Harper MP)
Formed in November 2020. They are opposed to national lockdowns and the current coronavirus restrictions.
-The Northern Research Group (led by Jake Berry MP)
Formed in October 2020. They want the Government to honour their “levelling-up” commitment and provide greater investment to the North.
-The Common Sense Group (led by Sir John Haynes MP)
Formed in July 2020. They want the Government to adopt a stronger border policy and openly champion cultural conservatism.
How do these groups work?
Research groups, like the ERG and the China Research Group, examine different areas of Government policy and offer new ideas.
However, lobby groups like the Covid Recovery group, focus on ensuring that the Government listens to and enacts their demands.
Unlike grassroots organisations, like Labour’s Momentum and Progress, research and lobby groups are elite. Only Conservative MPs can join them as opposed to party members.
Any Conservative MP can join by asking the group’s leader to invite them to future meetings. Many MPs have been known to be part of multiple groups at one time.
Due to coronavirus restrictions, the groups communicate almost exclusively on WhatsApp. This means it’s more difficult to know who’s in each group.
“We do genuinely do research”
Many have questioned the groups’ intentions and driving motivations.
The Covid Recovery Group paid nearly £10,000 in November 2020 to obtain advice from a media consultant.
The China Research Group currently hires two paid researchers and regularly publishes its findings on their website.
Julia Pamilih, the lead researcher of the China Research Group said, “We do genuinely do research. We genuinely have events where we bring in experts on China.”
“The focus on the internal political divisions and debates is slightly misguided, at least in application to what I do”.
“The main goal is for the China Research Group to become a sort of fixture in UK political life which informs the debate.”
“I think with China it’s very easy to split people into quite a binary fashion between hawks and doves”.
What research has the group conducted?
Since it’s formation, the group has investigated China’s alleged COVID-19 misinformation campaign, its foreign policy and its treatment of the Uighur population in Xinjiang.
They have also called on the Government to sanction all individuals and companies involved in the construction and maintenance of China’s, so called, ‘Vocational Education and Training Centres’.
This saw the The Chinese Foreign Ministry sanction the group and its founders, in March 2021. They say the group is “maliciously spreading lies and disinformation” about China.
In June, the group discovered that twenty leading UK Universities have collectively accepted more than £40 million in funding from Huawei and state-owned Chinese companies in recent years.
What have they accomplished in Parliament?
Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden, announced in July 2020 that the Government would remove all Huawei technology from the UK’s telecoms network by 2027.
This came after 38 Conservative MPs, all members of the China Research Group, rebelled against the Government and voted to stop the Chinese tele-communications company Huawei from operating in the UK.
The Government won this vote by a slender majority of 24 votes. However, they later conceded to the groups demands and agreed that Huawei’s involvement in the UK’s 5G network could pose a threat to the UK’s national security.
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Standfirst
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HeadlineResearch and Lobby Groups: A threat to politics as we know it?
Short HeadlineResearch Groups: A threat to 'normal politics'
StandfirstAs it stands there are currently five Research and lobby Groups inside the Parliamentary Conservative Party.
There are now five research and lobby groups inside the parliamentary Conservative Party.
This comes after the European Research Group’s (ERG) success between 2016 and 2020.
The group of backbench MPs helped to remove Theresa May as Prime Minister and the ‘Irish backstop’ from the Brexit Withdrawal agreement, under Boris Johnson.
This is the first time so many clearly defined one issue organisations have existed in the parliamentary party.
Who are these new groups and what do they want?
-The China Research Group (led by Tom Tugendhat and Neil O’Brien MP)
Formed in April 2020. They want the Government to have a more robust foreign policy towards China.
-The Covid Recovery Group (led by Mark Harper MP)
Formed in November 2020. They are opposed to national lockdowns and the current coronavirus restrictions.
-The Northern Research Group (led by Jake Berry MP)
Formed in October 2020. They want the Government to honour their “levelling-up” commitment and provide greater investment to the North.
-The Common Sense Group (led by Sir John Haynes MP)
Formed in July 2020. They want the Government to adopt a stronger border policy and openly champion cultural conservatism.
How do these groups work?
Research groups, like the ERG and the China Research Group, examine different areas of Government policy and offer new ideas.
However, lobby groups like the Covid Recovery group, focus on ensuring that the Government listens to and enacts their demands.
Unlike grassroots organisations, like Labour’s Momentum and Progress, research and lobby groups are elite. Only Conservative MPs can join them as opposed to party members.
Any Conservative MP can join by asking the group’s leader to invite them to future meetings. Many MPs have been known to be part of multiple groups at one time.
Due to coronavirus restrictions, the groups communicate almost exclusively on WhatsApp. This means it’s more difficult to know who’s in each group.
“We do genuinely do research”
Many have questioned the groups’ intentions and driving motivations.
The Covid Recovery Group paid nearly £10,000 in November 2020 to obtain advice from a media consultant.
The China Research Group currently hires two paid researchers and regularly publishes its findings on their website.
Julia Pamilih, the lead researcher of the China Research Group said, “We do genuinely do research. We genuinely have events where we bring in experts on China.”
“The focus on the internal political divisions and debates is slightly misguided, at least in application to what I do”.
“The main goal is for the China Research Group to become a sort of fixture in UK political life which informs the debate.”
“I think with China it’s very easy to split people into quite a binary fashion between hawks and doves”.
What research has the group conducted?
Since it’s formation, the group has investigated China’s alleged COVID-19 misinformation campaign, its foreign policy and its treatment of the Uighur population in Xinjiang.
They have also called on the Government to sanction all individuals and companies involved in the construction and maintenance of China’s, so called, ‘Vocational Education and Training Centres’.
This saw the The Chinese Foreign Ministry sanction the group and its founders, in March 2021. They say the group is “maliciously spreading lies and disinformation” about China.
In June, the group discovered that twenty leading UK Universities have collectively accepted more than £40 million in funding from Huawei and state-owned Chinese companies in recent years.
What have they accomplished in Parliament?
Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden, announced in July 2020 that the Government would remove all Huawei technology from the UK’s telecoms network by 2027.
This came after 38 Conservative MPs, all members of the China Research Group, rebelled against the Government and voted to stop the Chinese tele-communications company Huawei from operating in the UK.
The Government won this vote by a slender majority of 24 votes. However, they later conceded to the groups demands and agreed that Huawei’s involvement in the UK’s 5G network could pose a threat to the UK’s national security.
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