Since its earliest days, Europe, and Britain’s relationship with it, has been one of the biggest issues within the Conservative Party.
The issue has brought about the end of the last two Conservative Prime Ministers. David Cameron after the 2016 EU referendum and John Major in 1997.
However, with stalemate in Parliament and major disagreements being aired daily in public, could Europe now have further reaching consequences for the Conservative Party?
A new party?
One person who thinks so is Heidi Allen. In February 2019, she, with two fellow Conservative MPs Dr Sarah Wollaston and Anna Soubry, quit the Conservative Party to join the newly formed ‘The Independent Group’.
It’s perhaps a great indication of how turbulent the current environment is that she is now interim leader of Change UK, it’s successor party. This is despite having been an MP for only four years and involved in politics for only six. She sat down with City News and explained her decisions.
“Any of us three that left from the Conservatives. Anna, Sarah, myself will have slightly different reasons. The biggest common denominator is Brexit, and the way the government have handled that.” ~ Heidi Allen
She thinks that the Conservative Party as she knows it has gone: “after the referendum we’ve just become very rapidly a naval gazing, inward looking party to me. And not the broad, moderate, compassionate, wrap your arms around the whole country party that I thought we were. Where have all the Ukippers gone, well they’re back in what clearly was their rightful home in the first place. The Tory party.”
The fact the Conservatives are now so in favour of Brexit and contain a wing which demands a no deal Brexit, means that for Heidi Allen, the Conservatives are losing their old image and will lose their moderate tradition.
“When did the Tory party feel that it was OK for business to back no deal? UKIP type MPs and voters and associations you know, they are filling the void that the moderates are leaving. And that is cultural change and I just don’t see them going back at all.”
For her, there is now the chance to form a new party which she hopes will do politics differently. “Brexit has proven to me that that system is actually completely broken. And that’s the catalyst for me now it’s just about we need to do something better here. Now is absolutely the opportunity to do that [change politics] not least because the general public are crying out for it.”
‘Politics is about compromise’
Others however, remain confident of the party’s survival. Andrew Boff is a Conservative London-wide member of the London Assembly. He believes Brexit is a bump in the road.
“You will get a percentage where on the doorstep they’ll say, what, at the moment with all that’s going on, and then you have a chat with them and then 5 minutes later they’ll say yeah of course I’ll support you.
“Because they’ve always supported us before, they’re frustrated, they’re annoyed. I’m seeing more and more are so frustrated because we’ve lost our core, you know we’ve lost our core attribute of competence.
“I’m a loyal Tory and I know I’m a loyal Tory because every 3 weeks I want to leave over something stupid they’ve done. You know resign and cut up my card or something. But it’s been like that for 45 years, but I’m loyal, but that’s what being a member of a party is all about. At the end, political allegiance is a compromise.”
A perilous position
Whether due to the process of Brexit or simply ideological divisions over it, it would be hard to argue that the Conservative Party is not now in a perilous position.
New political parties such as Change UK and The Brexit Party have combined with the loss of the Conservatives ‘competent’ brand to create perhaps a perfect storm.
The coming months could be some of the toughest in its history and could yet shatter its hopes of winning a general election again anytime soon.
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Standfirst
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HeadlineBrexit – the end of the Party for The Conservatives?
Short HeadlineCity Investigates: Could Brexit end the Conservative Party?
StandfirstThe handling of Brexit and the emergence of new parties pose a potentially existential threat to The Conservative Party.
Since its earliest days, Europe, and Britain’s relationship with it, has been one of the biggest issues within the Conservative Party.
The issue has brought about the end of the last two Conservative Prime Ministers. David Cameron after the 2016 EU referendum and John Major in 1997.
However, with stalemate in Parliament and major disagreements being aired daily in public, could Europe now have further reaching consequences for the Conservative Party?
A new party?
One person who thinks so is Heidi Allen. In February 2019, she, with two fellow Conservative MPs Dr Sarah Wollaston and Anna Soubry, quit the Conservative Party to join the newly formed ‘The Independent Group’.
It’s perhaps a great indication of how turbulent the current environment is that she is now interim leader of Change UK, it’s successor party. This is despite having been an MP for only four years and involved in politics for only six. She sat down with City News and explained her decisions.
“Any of us three that left from the Conservatives. Anna, Sarah, myself will have slightly different reasons. The biggest common denominator is Brexit, and the way the government have handled that.” ~ Heidi Allen
She thinks that the Conservative Party as she knows it has gone: “after the referendum we’ve just become very rapidly a naval gazing, inward looking party to me. And not the broad, moderate, compassionate, wrap your arms around the whole country party that I thought we were. Where have all the Ukippers gone, well they’re back in what clearly was their rightful home in the first place. The Tory party.”
The fact the Conservatives are now so in favour of Brexit and contain a wing which demands a no deal Brexit, means that for Heidi Allen, the Conservatives are losing their old image and will lose their moderate tradition.
“When did the Tory party feel that it was OK for business to back no deal? UKIP type MPs and voters and associations you know, they are filling the void that the moderates are leaving. And that is cultural change and I just don’t see them going back at all.”
For her, there is now the chance to form a new party which she hopes will do politics differently. “Brexit has proven to me that that system is actually completely broken. And that’s the catalyst for me now it’s just about we need to do something better here. Now is absolutely the opportunity to do that [change politics] not least because the general public are crying out for it.”
‘Politics is about compromise’
Others however, remain confident of the party’s survival. Andrew Boff is a Conservative London-wide member of the London Assembly. He believes Brexit is a bump in the road.
“You will get a percentage where on the doorstep they’ll say, what, at the moment with all that’s going on, and then you have a chat with them and then 5 minutes later they’ll say yeah of course I’ll support you.
“Because they’ve always supported us before, they’re frustrated, they’re annoyed. I’m seeing more and more are so frustrated because we’ve lost our core, you know we’ve lost our core attribute of competence.
“I’m a loyal Tory and I know I’m a loyal Tory because every 3 weeks I want to leave over something stupid they’ve done. You know resign and cut up my card or something. But it’s been like that for 45 years, but I’m loyal, but that’s what being a member of a party is all about. At the end, political allegiance is a compromise.”
A perilous position
Whether due to the process of Brexit or simply ideological divisions over it, it would be hard to argue that the Conservative Party is not now in a perilous position.
New political parties such as Change UK and The Brexit Party have combined with the loss of the Conservatives ‘competent’ brand to create perhaps a perfect storm.
The coming months could be some of the toughest in its history and could yet shatter its hopes of winning a general election again anytime soon.
