The Historic Transformation of the Conservative Party

by Finn Elliot

For too long now, the front benches of government have been straddled by the members of cabinets that came before. One does not have to look very far at all to see that today's cabinet is not too dissimilar to yesterday’s one - just with different labels in front of the same names. For instance, Dominic Raab, the current Secretary of State was previously the Minister of State for Housing and before that he served at the Ministry of Justice. Matt Hancock - currently the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has also served as a Media Minster, but before that as Paymaster General. Most notably, Michael Gove, the current longest serving member of the cabinet. The MP has served as Shadow Minister for housing, Secretary of State Education, Secretary of state for Justice and now the Secretary of State for the Environment.

Despite this, Gove studied neither Botany or Law or Pedagogy, but instead English at university. Although a credible degree, for the sake of the argument; one would not wish for a writer building bridges. Nor would a businessman performing open-heart surgery be desirable. So why has a journalist by trade, at different stages of his political career, been responsible for the nation's housing, schooling and environment respectively? One may argue that the likes of Gove, Raab or Hunt, for example, qualify as excellent candidates for these roles due to their experience and insider knowledge. Moreover all of whom, like most of the current frontbenchers, boast an education at top universities with top degrees and academic profiles.

However when looking for expertise in policy making, the executive should look away from appointing old friends or cabinet veterans. This is because experience and expertise can come from elsewhere. Take Rishi Sunak as an example. Before being appointed Chancellor, Sunak served as the chief secretary to the treasury. However, importantly, his career before politics was spent, both in the UK and internationally in business and finance. After graduating from Oxford he went on to study for his MBA at Stanford University in the US. Following on from this he worked as an analyst for Goldman Sachs before becoming the director of the investment firm Catamaran Ventures.

Sunak's appointment is evidently different - in a good way. It has steered away from the conservative nature of the party to hold onto the reliability of the past and open up to a new start. An appointment that will hopefully enable the most thorough policy making and scrutiny of the government. However, it is arguably more important in a wider sense, because it highlights the bigger picture of multifaceted change within the Conservative party.

Traditionally but also somewhat stereotypically, the Conservative party has been the party of the upper class. The white collared workers and landowners. However this is no longer the case. Over the last decade especially, the party has continued to evolve ever closer to the centre of the political spectrum both socially as well as economically. It was the Tory party that legalised gay marriage in Britain in 2013. The same party pledged to spend £6.3bn on millions of disadvantaged homes in its latest manifesto. Continuously the Tories have stressed an increased focus in reducing inequality in the UK, such as with supply-side infrastructure policies, connecting the north with the south and investing in education for those who cannot afford it. Furthermore, to quote Sunak in his budget delivery, “whatever it needs, whatever it costs, we stand behind our NHS''. In comparison, a state provided healthcare would be unprecedented coming from the Republicans over the pond in the US.

The Tories' stance on reduced inequality and the enabling state highlighted above therefore demonstrates a renewal in the party’s ideologies. Giving strong evidence that the party is no longer a ‘right-wing’ party, but instead far from it. What’s more, the party is growing in popularity in the Labour heartlands and becoming a force to be reckoned with after its landslide general election result. Thus, the evolution of the party and reaching out to middle-ground voters has inevitably resulted in successful electoral gains and newfound support. Liberal social policies are snatching historic voter demographics away from Labour. Additionally, structural changes from within the party, such as Sunak’s appointment, shine the torch for further evolution from inside the party.

However, will the party’s dynamic adaptation continue? To repay its voters in the Midlands and north, inevitably its policies will have to adapt to meet the wishes of its voters. Moreover, in an increasingly liberal society, the party certainly has to continue to become more equal, more inclusive, and to let go of outdated traditions that tend to the wishes of the elite minority. If the party achieves this and overcomes the steep hurdles it currently faces - namely a global pandemic and effectively exiting the EU, while at the same time accommodating for its now diverse support, it seems unlikely that Downing Street will be anything but blue in the years to come.