Northern Exposure: One Nation Conservatism is key to gaining the North

Kris Hopkins MP 12.14pm

My abiding memories of the 2001 and 2005 General Election campaigns, in which I stood in Leeds West and Halifax respectively, were our party’s strong messages on Europe, immigration and crime.

But while we were talking about these important areas of policy, the public were talking about health, education and elderly care. We were out of step and we paid for it when the votes were counted.

The centre ground of British politics is undoubtedly where elections are won and lost. And while we must certainly have well-defined and properly articulated positions on policy areas traditionally associated with the centre-right, it is equally vital that we talk with equal passion about subjects the left have sought to dominate.

I am one of the first generation of Conservatives to serve under a Tory Prime Minister who has repeatedly articulated his unbending personal commitment to the National Health Service. People like me, who have only ever received health provision through the NHS, remain wedded to the principle that services should remain free at the point of delivery. But that does not mean we should not challenge the actual methods of delivery and demand higher productivity and higher quality than we experienced through thirteen years of failed and wasteful Labour government.

We must stress the value of education and, through the Academies policy and the free schools initiative, give parents and schools the chance to address educational failures of the state and support them in assisting their children to reach their maximum potential. The left has long-attempted to lead this conversation but their over-emphasis on increasing university places at the expense of other opportunities, and their steadfast belief that the nanny state knows best have significantly diminished schools’ respect for their misguided doctrines.

Historically, there has been something of a conflict between the Conservative party and public sector workers. And we must do what we can to move beyond this and better demonstrate the value we place on the jobs done on behalf of us all.

This must involve better engagement with public sector workers. We are operating in an era of huge financial constraints, and trade union leaders will continue to seek opportunities to attack us.

But we should not divorce ourselves from recognising the commitment of public sector workers and the vital roles they play in our community. It is right to be concerned for their welfare and to seek to ensure they receive the best possible pay and conditions. But these discussions must also reflect the requirement to manage the public finances responsibly and for the longer term.

We must be confident that being an advocate of the principles of One Nation Conservatism does not place us on the periphery. Quite the opposite, in fact.

And we must work to engage our party membership and, in particular, our councillors to make clear to all who will listen that we do care about the NHS, we want our children to have the best possible education, we value our excellent public services and, yes, that a robust immigration policy remains a component part of a far-reaching, attractive Conservative agenda.

Kris Hopkins was elected MP for Keighley & Ilkley in May 2010.

This article first appeared in longer form as an essay in the Autumn 2011 edition of the TRG’s Reformer journal.