Over the coming weeks, CapX will be running a number of perspectives on the future of the Conservative Party. If you have an idea you would like to contribute, get in touch at [email protected].
At the general election, the Conservative Party suffered its worst defeat in the modern era. We lost power – and many talented friends and former colleagues lost their seats – because we lost the trust of the public. Voters from Redruth to Redcar made clear that they did not trust Conservatives with the business of governing, because they did not trust Conservative politicians to show true leadership and serve the British public.
We need to reform the party and reset our relationship with the public. This will require not just a new face, but someone who can bring the leadership that our party, and our nation, needs so desperately.
They must serve the public, not themselves. Someone who leads with true conservative values and then isn’t afraid to act on them. Otherwise, we risk 10 years of Labour rule and our party taking another step towards oblivion.
And that is why I am very proud to endorse Tom Tugendhat as the next Leader of the Conservative Party.
I was privileged to represent Hastings and Rye for nine years in the Commons. I spent four of these years in the Cabinet, serving variously as Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, Work and Pensions Secretary and Home Secretary under three prime ministers.
I know what leadership looks like – I’ve seen the best and worst of it. I know when someone has the ability to serve, lead and act just as we expect from a British Prime Minister. Tom is the only candidate capable of providing that.
Both inside and out of Parliament, Tom has served this country. He risked his life to protect this nation, serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. In Parliament, he stood up for this nation’s security, warning of the threats from Russia, China and Iran – and was sanctioned because of it.
Tom did an exemplary job as Security Minister, pushing through the most important update to counter-espionage legislation in a century in the form of the National Security Act, which resulted in more Chinese and Russian spies being arrested and charged in two years than in the previous decade.
Perhaps most importantly right now, he isn’t afraid to act on his inherent conservative values. Tom understands the challenges facing British families and has fought during his time in Parliament to make their lives easier, put money into hard-working families’ pockets and protect their individual freedoms. That’s why he opposed the increase in National Insurance in 2022, arguing that it would harm working families, strain relationships, and disincentivise work. He also voted against the Covid vaccine passport to protect individual liberty.
Tom will lead with a true conservative platform that can put our nation back on track. He will reform our economy, not with tax rises as practised by Labour, but by changing how we prepare people for work and empower entrepreneurs to take risks. He will cut unnecessary red tape and make our public services more efficient. And he will leave people to decide what is best for them and their families.
We need to take the fight to Labour and ensure that this is a one-term government. Their so-called solutions will create more problems than they solve. If we choose a leader embroiled in the backbiting and briefing of the past few years, we will ensure a decade in opposition for ourselves.
Tom has always put the country first, not petty politics. He is a genuine conservative and with his leadership, we will win the next election and fix our country.
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