Why Kemi Badenoch's dismissive reaction to Ruth Davidson's centrists is a disaster for Tories
The centre-right approach to politics espoused by Conservatives like Ruth Davidson must have a place in the party
The list of supporters of the new centre-right movement Prosper UK reads like a Who’s Who of sensible Conservative politicians, including the likes of David Gauke, Amber Rudd, John Gummer, Justine Greening, Philip Hammond, Malcolm Rifkind, Ken Clarke and, of course, its co-chair Ruth Davidson.
If a politician of their calibre had been in charge during the Boris Johnson/Liz Truss era, the state of the Tory party, and indeed the country, might be significantly better.
Instead, Davidson and her colleagues find themselves setting up a Conservative fringe group to campaign for a “practical, centre-right approach” to growing the economy that includes a belief in free markets; a tax system which rewards hard work and incentivises investment; clean and affordable energy; and minimising barriers to international trade.
One Nation Conservatism
Their values include “individual freedom tempered by social responsibility”; “protecting the environment for future generations”; and “working with other countries to solve problems we cannot fix alone”.
If you found yourself agreeing with this agenda, then Prosper UK hopes to convince you to vote for the Conservatives. The problem, however, is that the current party leader, Kemi Badenoch, appears at odds with their style of One Nation Conservatism.
“This is my message to them: we're about the future, not the past. We're not trying to recreate 2006, and it's not 2016 any more. We are not refighting those battles,” she said. "It's 2026, and the world has changed.”
‘What I think needs to happen’
Badenoch added that she welcomed anyone who wanted to “help Conservatives get into No 10... but they need to recognise the agenda which I am setting”.
“I'm the leader of the Conservative party... and it is what I think needs to happen that they need to support, because that is what Conservative party members have voted for,” she said, seemingly oblivious to how bad this sounds.
Given the Tories’ current standing in the polls, being as broad a church as possible is clearly the politically expedient thing to do. Creating the impression that the party is little more than a pale imitation of Reform UK will result in only one outcome: electoral ruin.
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