Mark Yale is a Conservative activist and Treasurer of One Nation Conservative Network, a new grassroots movement supporting pragmatic, inclusive centre-right politics.
“Progress must be extended and accelerated not by subordinating the individual to the authority of the State, but by providing the conditions in which no one shall be precluded by poverty, ignorance, insecurity, or the selfishness of others from making the best of the gifts with which Providence has endowed him” – 1945 Conservative Manifesto
It is easy to think that One Nation Conservatism is a new phenomenon because of its association with the post-Thatcher shift towards the centre led initially by Sir John Major and more recently Lord Cameron. However, as the quote shows, the Conservative Party has a strong and long history of standing on a centre-right, pragmatic platform.
This tradition was carried forward in the post-war period by figures such as Rab Butler, whose role in shaping the 1944 Education Act and accepting much of the post-war settlement reflected a practical commitment to social reform within a Conservative framework.
At its core, One Nation Conservatism is about ensuring that opportunity is widely and fairly shared, that economic freedom is balanced with social responsibility, and that everyone has a stake in the nation’s success. It is not about ideological purity, but rather the practical goal of governing effectively for the whole nation.
Today, the country is increasingly facing social division and a growing gap between the experiences of those doing well economically and those less well. A good example of this is that the ability to get on the housing ladder is becoming increasingly defined by whether parents or grandparents are able to help financially. As a result of this growing economic divide, there is a risk that we return to the two-nation society that Benjamin Disraeli wrote about in his novel Sybil.
It is easy to claim that we have tried this type of Conservatism and that it failed – evidenced by the defeat we suffered at the 2024 general election.
But this is not a fair criticism. Analysis from Lord Ashcroft after the general election showed that the number one reason people stopped voting Conservative was that we had lost the people’s trust. Why we lost the people’s trust is easily explained by the other reasons highlighted by those asked; “Conservative government had not been competent”, “Partygate and other scandals”, and “The Liz Truss mini-budget of 2022”.
None of those reasons are linked to the ideological direction of the party, but rather our ability to do what a government should be doing – delivering for voters, improving the country and improving individuals’ circumstances.
There has been much discussion about what the future direction of the Conservative Party should be. Narrowing our appeal by rejecting policy or ideas from the traditional centre-right and shunning those who are nearer the centre is a mistake and will only make being re-elected harder.
The party is better when it is a broad church with mass appeal. Polling for Prosper UK by More in Common identified millions of voters in the centre ground who feel that they are politically homeless and that no party represents them.
So why would we want to ignore this mass of potential voters?
Those who identify as traditional centre-right or as a One Nation Conservative are pragmatic and recognise the centre has shifted, in particular on immigration, and are not trying to remould the party in our image or reject the concerns of certain voters, but rather ensure it remains a broad church, with both sides being listened to.
To help maintain this tradition within the party, a new grassroots initiative – the One Nation Conservative Network – has been established. It wants to help ensure the party remains a broad church through a focus on the grassroots, activists and councillors, and supporting candidates during election campaigns. Additionally, we want to bring One Nation Conservative ideas outside of Westminster and show how they can benefit voters at a local level.
One Nation Conservatism plays an important role in ensuring that the party remains rooted in its historic mission to govern responsibly and for the whole nation. From Disraeli’s warning of a divided society to the principles set out in the 1945 manifesto, the Conservative tradition has long recognised the importance of social responsibility.
At a time of economic uncertainty and social division such as we are currently experiencing, accommodating this strand of Conservatism will help ensure that the party speaks not only to one section of the country, but the whole country.
