Which type of Conservative do we have as our PM now?

There are three factions within the Conservative party, so when voters elect a Conservative Government or Council, they never know which one they're going to get.

Boris Johnson was a “Populist”, i.e. someone who divides the country by telling “The People” that all problems are simple and could be fixed with a bit of common sense if only “The Elite” would stop getting in the way. “Take Back Control” and “Get Brexit Done” were effective slogans, but now it’s clear “unelected Brussels bureaucrats” aren’t responsible for our problems, the populists have to find other scapegoats. So refugees, judges and homeless people are all blamed for our lack of affordable housing and crumbling public services.

“Free-market capitalists” like Liz Truss and Margaret Thatcher have an ideological belief that giving tax cuts to the richest in society will “trickle down” to the rest of us. Even though this approach has repeatedly failed (most recently in the Liz Truss / Kwazi Kwarteng “mini budget” of 2022), they still believe it would work if we just tried it one more time!

There used to be another faction, the “One Nation” Conservatives like Ken Clarke and Rory Stewart. These were the most moderate, pragmatic (dare I say sensible?) wing of the party. One Nation voters are appalled not only by the cruelty of politicians like Suella Braverman, but also their contempt for due process. When the Supreme Court says it's illegal to send people to a dangerous country, you can't just pass a law to say that it’s safe!

Rishi Sunak started out as a free-marketeer, but ditched those ideals when he realised that populism was his ticket to the top job. As Prime Minister he has given jobs to populists like Suella Braverman and GB News presenter Lee Anderson.

Last week's reshuffle was Sunak's attempt to win back millions of moderate voters who are switching to the Liberal Democrats, but there are so few “one nation” MPs left in Parliament that he had to bring David Cameron out of retirement. And this gesture was immediately cancelled out by the appointment of another populist GB News presenter, Esther McVey.

Every MP and councillor has a duty to defend the rule of law, but Cornwall’s Conservative Councillors have failed to challenge this divisive populism, whilst our local MP has actively supported it. After years of blaming everyone else, it’s clear that our Conservative representatives are responsible for the dire state of our economy, our environment and our society.

Liberalism welcomes diversity of views and ideas, but it weighs them all against the core Liberal values of respecting the rule of law, treating every human being with dignity and respect, and recognising that if we invest in giving every individual a fair chance in life, our whole society will be better off.