Cornerstone Group
The Cornerstone Group is a High Tory or traditional conservative political organisation within the British Conservative Party.[1] It comprises Members of Parliament with a traditionalist outlook and was founded in 2005. The Group's president is Edward Leigh and its chairman John Hayes. Many Conservative Party Members of Parliament and Peers belong to the Cornerstone Group, including several members of His Majesty's Government.
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 Conservative Party incorporates three main schools of thought; along with the traditionalist-leaning Cornerstone Group, there are also the One Nation and Thatcherite elements. There is more than a degree of overlap between these groups, depending on the issue. The Cornerstone Group supports the unitary governance of the British state and opposes attempts to transfer power away from it — either downwards through regionalism and devolution, or upwards to the international control of the European Union. A manifesto released at the time of its foundation set out the Group's intentions:[2]
We believe that these values must be stressed: tradition; nation; family; religious ethics; 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 establishment and 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 British social institutions: the Church of England, the unitary British state, and the family. To this end, it emphasises England's Anglican heritage, opposes any transfer of power away from the central government and institutions of the United Kingdom — either downwards to the nations and regions or upwards to the European Union — and seeks to place greater emphasis on traditional family structures to repair what has been termed as Britain's broken society, as well as calling for lower levels of immigration into the UK.
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]
Prominent MPs from this wing of the party include Owen Paterson and John Redwood. Though the group is marked out by its support for the Anglican Church, it also includes more traditional Catholic members such as Jacob Rees-Mogg and Edward Leigh and Muslims such as Sajid Javid.
Members
MPs, but not peers, listed on the Cornerstone Web site as members as of 20 June 2018.[3]
| Member | Constituency | Elected |
|---|---|---|
| Edward Leigh | Gainsborough | 1983 |
| Bill Cash | Stone | 1984 |
| John Redwood | Wokingham | 1987 |
| John Whittingdale | Maldon | 1992 |
| John Hayes | South Holland and the Deepings | 1997 |
| Christopher Chope | Christchurch | 1997 (prev. 1983)[5] |
| Laurence Robertson | Tewkesbury | 1997 |
| Ian Liddell-Grainger | Bridgwater and West Somerset | 2001 |
| Greg Knight | East Yorkshire | 2001 (prev. 1983)[6] |
| Andrew Rosindell | Romford | 2001 |
| Peter Bone | Wellingborough | 2005 |
| Stephen Crabb | Preseli Pembrokeshire | 2005 |
| David T C Davies | Monmouth | 2005 |
| Philip Davies | Shipley | 2005 |
| Robert Goodwill | Scarborough and Whitby | 2005 |
| Greg Hands | Chelsea and Fulham | 2005 |
| Philip Hollobone | Kettering | 2005 |
| Adam Holloway | Gravesham | 2005 |
| David Jones | Clwyd West | 2005 |
| Daniel Kawczynski | Shrewsbury and Atcham | 2005 |
| Charles Walker | Broxbourne | 2005 |
| Nigel Adams | Selby and Ainsty | 2010 |
| Steve Baker | Wycombe | 2010 |
| Fiona Bruce | Congleton | 2010 |
| Robert Halfon | Harlow | 2010 |
| Sajid Javid | Bromsgrove | 2010 |
| Kwasi Kwarteng | Spelthorne | 2010 |
| Jacob Rees-Mogg | North East Somerset | 2010 |
| Priti Patel | Witham | 2010 |
| Martin Vickers | Cleethorpes | 2010 |
References
- "What is the Cornerstone group? Matthew Barrett profiles the socially conservative Tory backbench group".
- 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.
- "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.
