The Tories risk becoming a rump party of nostalgic nationalists
4 min read
Forget nostalgia – Conservatives must champion a bold vision of a 21st Century Britain to win a new generation of aspirational voters, writes George Freeman
We are living though one of those moments in political history when everything changes. This is a 1975, 1945, 1905 moment: when the underlying rules of our system of political economy profoundly change. After the Crash, austerity, a £700bn QE programme – which has dramatically shifted wealth to those with assets and hit disposal incomes – and now Brexit: we are witnessing a deep structural demographic tectonic shift in UK politics. Amongst a new generation of voters under 45, both capitalism and our model of liberal democracy are suffering a deep crisis of unpopularity. A new generation of aspirational professional voters under 45 are rejecting the old model. Unless the Conservative party reconnects with them, we risk becoming a rump party of nostalgic nationalists.
We need to end the Brexit Civil War and recast Brexit as a much more inspiring moment of profound national and economic renewal.
This is not a time for technocratic policy tweaks. Breathless government announcements are as out-of-date as New Labour spin and husky-hugging. This is a moment of profound national challenge. And opportunity.
Over the next six to twelve months, through the work of the Policy Commission I advised the PM to establish – now led by the brilliant Chris Skidmore – the rejuvenated Conservative Policy Forum (CPF) and in our next manifesto, we must set out a bold “Beyond Brexit” programme of inspiring domestic reforms. A coherent package of bold policy themes capable of tackling the domestic grievances which drove so much of the Brexit “roar”.
Here are the six pillars I believe should frame the new programme:
First, a genuine innovation economy: Britain as a global hub for the R&D, financing and exporting the innovations the world needs. A series of bold reforms to make us a genuine Innovation Economy.
Second, a new approach to aid, trade and security in emerging markets: a much more strategic approach to our global interests, offering 5-10 nations a 10-year Development Partnership in which we double the aid, double the security and have ten times the trade.
Third, a new model of “public sector enterprise”: not privatisation but a new approach with funding incentives for efficiency and innovation, inspiring our best public sector leaders.
Fourth, a new economic policy for unleashing enterprise and local renewal: an end to the top-down, command-and-control Treasury iron grip from Whitehall. More freedoms for local economic revival.
Fifth, a post-statist model of social justice based on social enterprise: moving from the hand-out state to the leg-up state, ending dependency on the state and embedding welfare support in local economies and communities.
Sixth, a new contract of citizenship to show UK citizens they still belong and that their citizenship is valued: a new “social contract” in which UK citizens who fear being left behind are given tangible opportunities by the state as entitlements of their citizenship.
Here at Conference we are making a start on this new programme. The 2020 Conservatives Group of MPs I set up and lead are launching our Book on “Britain beyond Brexit” with Big Ideas from 10 MPs on “rebooting 21stC Conservatism”.
I am also delighted to announce that a group of entrepreneurs and I have raised more than £250,000 to launch the new Capital Ideas Foundation and BigTentIdeasFestival as a movement to build a bigger cultural and political coalition of optimism to defeat the surge of anti-capitalism, anti-politics and narrow nationalism.
The Capital Ideas Foundation’s mission is to stand up against new populist tyrants appearing on the hard left and right. Our patrons are from the centre left and right. Conservative, Labour and of no party. Former Remainers and Leavers. United in a belief that we must make this a moment of inspiring domestic renewal. We began this summer with the second Big Tent Ideas Festival, welcoming around 2,000 people to Cambridge for the festival and leaders’ summit, with talks across 50 events in our eight different policy tents.
If we are to succeed, a new generation of Conservatives are going to have to set out a vision of Britain in the 21st century based on the values of empowerment, citizenship, innovation, enterprise, responsibility and freedom. The work of the 2020 Group and the Capital Ideas Foundation is the first step.
George Freeman is Conservative MP for Mid Norfolk
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