Common Sense Group

British Conservative Party faction

Common Sense Group
FormationSummer 2018
President
Edward Leigh
Chairman
John Hayes
Vice Chairman
Tom Hunt
Parent organisation
Conservative Party

The Common Sense Group is an informal group of Conservative MPs in the United Kingdom who advocate a range of ideals. The Guardian described the Common Sense Group as a "hard-right or culture war-sympathetic faction".[1]

The group was inspired by the euro-sceptic European Research Group and has published a book, Common Sense: Conservative Thinking for a Post-Liberal Age.[2][3]

History

The Guardian said in November 2020 that the group "launched quietly in the summer with about 40 members ... and now has 59 MPs and 7 members of the House of Lords in its ranks".[2] Its president is Edward Leigh MP.[4]

The Common Sense Group has been said to be a revival of the Cornerstone Group, which appeared to be inactive after the 2019 elections (the source of the Cornerstone "About" page shows a last modified date in 2018).[5]

Following an interim report on the connections between colonialism and properties now in the care of the National Trust, including links with historic slavery, members of the group signed a letter to The Telegraph in November 2020. The letter accused the National Trust of being "coloured by cultural Marxist dogma, colloquially known as the woke agenda".[6]

The group's manifesto, Common Sense: Conservative Thinking for a Post-Liberal Age, was published in May 2021.[3] John Hayes MP wrote in the Preface, "With opportunities provided by Brexit, the time for a refreshed national conversation on the defining issues of our time – nationhood, community, migration, the rule of law and public order – is now."[7][8]

Members

Members of the group include:[6][7]

Members of Parliament:

Members of the House of Lords:

Others:

Lee Anderson was formerly a member of the group, prior to his defection to Reform UK.

See also

References

  1. ^ Walker, Peter (28 December 2023). "Heavy election defeat could lead to Tory lurch to right, analysis shows". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  2. ^ a b Bland, Archie; Elgot, Jessica (11 November 2020). "Dissatisfied Tory MPs flock to ERG-inspired pressure groups". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  3. ^ a b Steerpike (12 May 2022). "Tories unveil anti-woke manifesto". The Spectator. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  4. ^ Conference 2021: What's on? - Monday 4th October, Fringe Events - 8:30pm the Common Sense Group & Blue Collar Conservatives (PDF). 2021. p. 88. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
  5. ^ "About us". Cornerstone. 20 June 2018.
  6. ^ a b "Will the police break up Armistice Day ceremonies on Wednesday?". The Telegraph. 9 November 2020. Retrieved 20 May 2022. Letter to the Editor signed by Lee Anderson • Gareth Bacon • Scott Benton • Bob Blackman • Ben Bradley • Brendan Clarke-Smith • Philip Davies • Nick Fletcher • Jonathan Gullis • Sally-Ann Hart • John Hayes • Tom Hunt • Edward Leigh • Andrew Lewer • Chris Loder • Marco Longhi • Craig Mackinlay • Karl McCartney • Pauline Latham • David Morris • Andrew Rosindell • James Sunderland • Martin Vickers • Giles Watling • William Wragg • Baroness Eaton • Lord Lilley
  7. ^ a b Hayes, John (May 2021). Common Sense: Conservative Thinking for a Post-Liberal Age (pdf). Common Sense Group. Authors: Foreword: Michael Nazir-Ali • Preface: John Hayes • Essays: Gareth Bacon • James Sunderland • David Maddox • Edward Leigh • Sally-Ann Hart • Danny Kruger • Peter Lilley • Marco Longhi • Chris Loder • Tom Hunt • Andrew Lewer • Joy Morrissey • Nick Fletcher • Lord Horam of Grimsargh • Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts • Alexander Stafford • Robin Millar • Fiona Bruce • David Burrowes
  8. ^ Bale, Tim (25 May 2021). "Opinion: The Tory 'war on woke' has a manifesto – and its targets are crushingly familiar". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
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