Cornerstone Group
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Cornerstone Group | |
|---|---|
 | |
| President | Sir Edward Leigh |
| Chairman | Sir John Hayes |
| Founded | 2005 |
| Headquarters | United Kingdom |
| Ideology | High Toryism |
| Political position | Right-wing |
| Party | Conservative Party |
| Slogan | Faith, Flag and Family |
| House of Commons (Conservative seats) | 32 / 365 |
| Website | |
| cornerstonegroup (Inactive) | |
The Cornerstone Group is a
The Conservative Party incorporates three main schools of thought; along with the traditionalist-leaning Cornerstone Group, there are also the
We believe that these values must be stressed:
free enterprise. We want to use the leadership election to argue for principles and policies, not about personalities. We must seize the centre ground and pull it kicking and screaming towards us. That is the only way to demolish the foundations of the liberal establishmentand demonstrate to the electorate the fundamental flaws on which it is based.— Strange Desertion of Tory England: The Conservative Alternative to the Liberal Orthodoxy, July 2005[2]
The Cornerstone Group appeared to be inactive after the 2019 elections (the source of the Cornerstone "About" page shows a last modified date in 2018);[3] Sir John Hayes's Common Sense Group, launched in 2020 in the wake of Black Lives Matter with about 40 MPs, is said to revive the Cornerstone Group.[4]
Principles
Its name derives from the Cornerstone Group's support for three
Its core focus points according to its website include the "monarchy; traditional marriage; family and community duties; proper pride in the United Kingdom's distinctive qualities; quality of life over soulless utility; social responsibility over personal selfishness; social justice as civic duty, not state dependency; compassion for those in need; reducing government waste; lower taxation and deregulation; and promotion and protection of ancient liberties against politically correct censorship and a commitment to the democratically elected UK parliament."[3]
A prominent
Members
 | This article needs to be updated. (April 2017) |
See also
References
- ^ "What is the Cornerstone group? Matthew Barrett profiles the socially conservative Tory backbench group".
- ^ a b Forman, Daniel (25 July 2015). "Conservative MPs call for 'moral values' agenda". ePolitix.com. Archived from the original on 4 June 2011. Retrieved 25 October 2015.
The pamphlet was also critical of the outgoing leader Michael Howard's general election campaign, which it accused of being "too timid" on tax cuts, public service reform and family values. "We believe that these values must be stressed: tradition, nation, family, religious ethics, free enterprise," Leigh said. "We want to use the leadership election to argue for principles and policies, not about personalities." He attacked modernisers who want to ape New Labour's cultural liberalism. "The liberals have constructed an empire of cultural assumptions which, conservatives must realise, you either surrender to or fight," he said. "Emulating New Labour both lacks authenticity and is unlikely to make us popular. "We must seize the centre ground and pull it kicking and screaming towards us. That is the only way to demolish the foundations of the liberal establishment and demonstrate to the electorate the fundamental flaws on which it is based.
- ^ a b c "About us". Cornerstone. 20 June 2018.
- ^ Toynbee, Polly (27 October 2022). "Braverman's return shows how deeply Sunak is in hock to the hard right". The Guardian.
- ^ Chope was MP for Southampton Itchen from 1983 until 1992.
- ^ Knight was MP for Derby North from 1983 until 1997.
