The Common Sense Group is an informal group of
Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...
MPs in the United Kingdom who advocate a broad range of ideals that they think the Conservative Party and the country ought to be following.
The group was inspired by the euro-sceptic
European Research Group
The European Research Group (ERG) is a research support group and caucus of Eurosceptic Conservative Members of Parliament of the United Kingdom. The journalist Sebastian Payne described it in the ''Financial Times'' as "the most influential ese ...
and has published a book, ''Common Sense: Conservative Thinking for a Post-Liberal Age''.
History
''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper
A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background.
Newspapers can cover a wide ...
'' said in November 2020 that the group "launched quietly in the summer with about 40 members ... and now has 59
MPs
MPS, M.P.S., MPs, or mps may refer to:
Science and technology
* Mucopolysaccharidosis, genetic lysosomal storage disorder
* Mononuclear phagocyte system, cells in mammalian biology
* Myofascial pain syndrome
* Metallopanstimulin
* Potassium perox ...
and 7 members of the
House of Lords
The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster ...
in its ranks".
[ Its president is ]Edward Leigh
Sir Edward Julian Egerton Leigh (born 20 July 1950) is a British Conservative Party politician who has served as a Member of Parliament (MP) since 1983.
Leigh has represented Gainsborough, Lincolnshire in the House of Commons since 1983 (rep ...
MP.
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 following elections were scheduled to occur in 2019. The International Foundation for Electoral Systems has a calendar of upcoming elections around the world, and the National Democratic Institute also maintains a calendar of elections in coun ...
(the source of the Cornerstone "About" page shows a last modified date in 2018).colonialism
Colonialism is a practice or policy of control by one people or power over other people or areas, often by establishing colonies and generally with the aim of economic dominance. In the process of colonisation, colonisers may impose their rel ...
and properties now in the care of the National Trust
The National Trust, formally the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, is a charity and membership organisation for heritage conservation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, there is a separate and ...
, 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
The term "Cultural Marxism" refers to a far-right antisemitic conspiracy theory which claims that Western Marxism is the basis of continuing academic and intellectual efforts to subvert Western culture. The conspiracy theory misrepresents the ...
dogma, colloquially known as the ''woke
''Woke'' ( ) is an adjective derived from African-American Vernacular English (AAVE) meaning "alert to racial prejudice and discrimination". Beginning in the 2010s, it came to encompass a broader awareness of social inequalities such as sex ...
agenda''".[ Letter to the Editor signed by Lee Anderson • Gareth Bacon • Scott Benton • Bob Blackman • Ben Bradley • ]Brendan Clarke-Smith
Brendan Clarke-Smith (born 17 August 1980) is a British Conservative Party politician and former teacher serving as Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office between September and October 2022. He served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary o ...
• Philip Davies • Nick Fletcher • Jonathan Gullis
Jonathan Edward Gullis (born 9 January 1990) is a Conservative Party politician and former teacher, who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Stoke-on-Trent North since 2019.
Education and early career
Gullis attended Princethorpe ...
• Sally-Ann Hart
Sally-Ann Hart (born 6 March 1968) is a British politician who has been the member of parliament (MP) for Hastings and Rye since 2019. A member of the Conservative Party, she succeeded Amber Rudd, the former home secretary, who did not seek re ...
• John Hayes • Tom Hunt • Edward Leigh
Sir Edward Julian Egerton Leigh (born 20 July 1950) is a British Conservative Party politician who has served as a Member of Parliament (MP) since 1983.
Leigh has represented Gainsborough, Lincolnshire in the House of Commons since 1983 (rep ...
• Andrew Lewer
Andrew Iain Lewer (born 18 July 1971 in Burnley, Lancashire) is a British Conservative Party politician. Elected as the Member of Parliament for Northampton South in the 2017 general election, he previously served as Member of the European Pa ...
• Chris Loder
Christopher Lionel John Loder (born 5 September 1981) is a British Conservative Party politician who has been the MP for West Dorset since the 2019 general election. He succeeded Sir Oliver Letwin, who was elected as a Conservative but sat as ...
• Marco Longhi • Craig Mackinlay
Craig Mackinlay (born 7 October 1966) is a Conservative Party politician and businessman. Since May 2015, he has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for South Thanet.
Initially a member of the UK Independence Party (UKIP), Mackinlay served a ...
• Karl McCartney
Karl Ian McCartney (born 25 October 1968) is a British politician who served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport from July to September 2022. He is the Conservative Member of Parliament for Lincoln. He was first elected at ...
• Pauline Latham
Pauline Elizabeth Latham, (born 4 February 1948) is a British Conservative Party politician, who was elected at the 2010 general election as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Mid Derbyshire.
Early life
Latham was born on 4 February 1948 in ...
• David Morris • Andrew Rosindell • James Sunderland • Martin Vickers • Giles Watling
Giles Francis Watling (born 18 February 1953) is a British Conservative Party politician serving as Member of Parliament (MP) for Clacton since 2017. Prior to entering politics, he was an actor.
Early life and education
Born in Chingford to ac ...
• William Wragg
William Peter Wragg (born 11 December 1987) is a British Conservative Party politician. He has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Hazel Grove in Greater Manchester since May 2015. He is a vice-chairman of the 1922 Committee.
Early life
Wra ...
• Baroness Eaton • Lord Lilley
The group's manifesto, ''Common Sense: Conservative Thinking for a Post-Liberal Age'', was published in May 2021.[ John Hayes MP wrote in the Preface, "With opportunities provided by ]Brexit
Brexit (; a portmanteau of "British exit") was the withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU) at 23:00 GMT on 31 January 2020 (00:00 1 February 2020 CET).The UK also left the European Atomic Energy Community (EAE ...
, 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."[ Authors: Foreword: ]Michael Nazir-Ali
Michael James Nazir-Ali ( ur, ; born 19 August 1949) is a Pakistani-born British Roman Catholic priest and former Anglican bishop who served as the 106th Bishop of Rochester from 1994 to 2009 and, before that, as Bishop of Raiwind in Pakistan. ...
• Preface: John Hayes • Essays: Gareth Bacon • James Sunderland • David Maddox • Edward Leigh
Sir Edward Julian Egerton Leigh (born 20 July 1950) is a British Conservative Party politician who has served as a Member of Parliament (MP) since 1983.
Leigh has represented Gainsborough, Lincolnshire in the House of Commons since 1983 (rep ...
• Sally-Ann Hart
Sally-Ann Hart (born 6 March 1968) is a British politician who has been the member of parliament (MP) for Hastings and Rye since 2019. A member of the Conservative Party, she succeeded Amber Rudd, the former home secretary, who did not seek re ...
• Danny Kruger • Peter Lilley
Peter Bruce Lilley, Baron Lilley, PC (born 23 August 1943) is a British politician and life peer who served as a cabinet minister in the governments of Margaret Thatcher and John Major. A member of the Conservative Party, he was Member of Par ...
• Marco Longhi • Chris Loder
Christopher Lionel John Loder (born 5 September 1981) is a British Conservative Party politician who has been the MP for West Dorset since the 2019 general election. He succeeded Sir Oliver Letwin, who was elected as a Conservative but sat as ...
• Tom Hunt • Andrew Lewer
Andrew Iain Lewer (born 18 July 1971 in Burnley, Lancashire) is a British Conservative Party politician. Elected as the Member of Parliament for Northampton South in the 2017 general election, he previously served as Member of the European Pa ...
• Joy Morrissey • Nick Fletcher • Lord Horam of Grimsargh • Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts • Alexander Stafford • Robin Millar • Fiona Bruce
Fiona Elizabeth Bruce (born 25 April 1964) is a British journalist, newsreader, and television presenter. She joined the BBC as a researcher for ''Panorama'' in 1989, and has since become the first female newsreader on the '' BBC News at Ten' ...
• David Burrowes
David John Barrington Burrowes (born 12 June 1969) is a British politician. He was the Conservative Member of Parliament for Enfield Southgate from 2005 to 2017, is the co-founder of the Conservative Christian Fellowship. He has been the Chai ...
Members
Members of the group include:[
Members of Parliament:
Members of the House of Lords:
Others:
]
See also
* Social class in the United Kingdom
The social structure of the United Kingdom has historically been highly influenced by the concept of social class, which continues to affect British society today. British society, like its European neighbours and most societies in world history, ...
* Blue Collar Conservativism
References
{{Conservative Party (UK)
Conservative Party (UK) factions
Euroscepticism in the United Kingdom
Groups of British MPs
Organizations established in 2020
2020 establishments in the United Kingdom
Organisations associated with the Conservative Party (UK)
Right-wing politics in the United Kingdom
Right-wing populism in the United Kingdom