Is “one nation” Conservatism over?
With the exodus of pro-European Tories in 2019 — Clarke, Rudd, Hammond, Soames et al — there has been much speculation that the future of the One Nation group of MPs looks bleak. The Prime Minister regularly refers to his own “one nation” position and it is a phrase that many have tried to co-opt over the years, but what is the future for the movement and can it survive under a more right-wing Conservative government?
Firstly, it is important to point out that whether or not someone voted leave or remain does not determine whether they are a one nation Conservative. The principles underlying the movement are far deeper than opinions on Brexit. Over the years, groups of MPs have sought to define the one nation message and offer a guiding theme for governments. Originally the one nation group had been concerned with the unity of society, the cohesion of the nation and the fortunes of all its citizens. In the 50’s and 60’s they argued for both a strong market economy to create wealth and a well-funded welfare structure to ensure that rising prosperity was shared by all.
David Howell, as Chairman of the One Nation Group in the 90’s, believed a more international position was important and that the UK should be at the heart of progressive Europe. It should seek to work with others to strengthen unity and stability across the world and make space for domestic growth. As the Conservatives sought to recover from the 1997 Labour landslide, the One Nation Group would have been buoyed by the policies and commitments of David Cameron who looked like the progressive Conservative they had been hoping for. However, as Europe continued to dog his premiership, his decision in 2009 to remove the Conservative MEP’s from the pro-European EPP-ED grouping was the first big shift away from Howell’s vision.
Party divisions intensified throughout Cameron’s time and the split between the one nation Conservatives and the European Research Group deepened. The one nation group moved away from it’s dining club meeting traditions and sought to create a caucus of like-minded MPs, headed by Damian Green. Numbers swelled to 60 or so and in 2019 the group produced a Declaration of Values and sought to strengthen its voice in the party. If the caucus’s aim — as some claimed — was to stop Boris, or Brexit, then it failed, and its activities had little effect on public opinion ahead of the election.
As the election was called and a wave of one nation MPs announced they would not be standing, it was thought that the movement might be in its death throes. Will those that remain find solace in Boris Johnson’s victory speech, in which he declared that a “one nation” Conservative government would allow the UK to “find closure and to let the healing begin”? I suspect he will be judged on his actions, and not his words.
There is no sign of the one nation group giving up just yet. Caucus Chair Damian Green wrote recently on the Conservative Home website about the group’s current vision and set out his plans to “produce policy ideas, promote debate” and find ways to keep the one nation values “modern and relevant”.
He also opened the doors to those in other parties who share similar beliefs — making particular reference to “any former Labour supporter who is fed up of being called a Tory by Corbynistas” who may look at the principles and decide to “make a reality of what was meant as an insult”. The outcome of the Labour leadership contest could well send more MPs knocking at Damian’s door.
