Conservative values

Conservatism, for me, is not a costume. It’s a practical worldview: the rule of law is critical, order matters, institutions matter, incentives matter, culture matters — and reality always wins.

1) Governance: accountability and public duty

Locally and nationally, I want transparent decision-making, proper scrutiny, and leaders who understand that public office is a duty — not a personal brand. Hubris is ugly, and it usually ends in failure.

2) Equal treatment under the law

People should be able to live without fear or discrimination. That’s not “woke”; it’s basic British fairness. The job of the state is to treat people equally under the law, without special pleading and without double standards. Stop identifying our differences and treat everyone the same.

3) The basics: services that work

Good government gets the fundamentals right:

• strong defence
• solid and reliable policing
• safe roads and pavements
• decent schools and high standards
• strong children’s and adults’ services
• reliable public health and prevention
• sensible local transport
• an economy that rewards work and enterprise

And it does it without gimmicks.

4) The state: reform, not reverence

As small a state as possible. Stepping away from interfering in the lives of citizens.

The post-war settlement is creaking. The welfare state, the NHS, and social care need serious reform — not worship, not slogans. Spending vast sums without measurable improvement is not compassion; it’s failure dressed as virtue.

5) Tax, work, and aspiration

I’m pro-enterprise and pro-work. I want a tax system that rewards effort, supports families, and stops punishing aspiration and limiting economic growth. Britain cannot thrive if success is treated as suspicious and dependency is treated as a lifestyle. We must end the dependency culture and welfarism that has taken root since covid.

6) Borders, citizenship, and cohesion

A country that cannot control its borders is not in full control of itself.

Immigration must be legal, controlled, and vetted in the national interest.

Integration matters — and English proficiency is part of that.

Asylum must be processed with speed, firmness, and credibility — including processing arrangements away from our shores where appropriate.

7) Freedom of speech and policing real crime

The police should be resourced and focused on actual crime — violence, theft, exploitation — not fashionable “thought” offences. Free speech can be uncomfortable; that’s the price of a free society. Incitement to violence is a red line. Disagreement or hurt feelings isn’t.

8) Justice: consequences, not excuses

The justice system must protect the public, punish serious wrongdoing, and rehabilitate where it genuinely works. For the worst offences, “life” should mean exactly that: life.

I support the toughest possible penalties including the death penalty for the murder or severe abuse of children, and for the murder of those who serve the Crown to protect the public. Modern forensics can strengthen the quality of evidence, but it is not infallible. If the state cannot guarantee absolute certainty, then the fallback must be uncompromising: for any life taken, life should mean life — with no automatic release and no softening through legal fiction.

9) Defence, sovereignty, and the world

I’m a monarchist, a unionist, and serious about defence. The world is getting harder, not softer. Britain needs credible capability, credible alliances, and a foreign policy based on national interest and hard power reality, not wishful thinking. We must spend 5% of our GDP on defence. Now.

10) Energy security and net zero realism

Energy is national security. I support domestic supply where we have it, rapid expansion of clean generation where it makes sense, and a market design that stops punishing households and industry. Net zero must be practical and affordable — not a morality play paid for by working people. We’ve gone too far.

11) Education: standards, discipline, and skills

Education should be about truth, knowledge, and capability, not ideology. Literacy, numeracy, discipline, and respect matter. A deeper understanding of British history is a fundamental cornerstone of education. We also need to rebuild status and investment in trades and technical skills — because a country that can’t build and maintain things becomes a country that declines.

12) Trade unions: legitimate role, limited power

Unions have a place — but not as political battering rams that hold the country hostage. We’ve lived that film before. I’m not interested in a return to 1970s dysfunction. We must curb union interference in the democratic process to protect businesses and employers from union excess. Essential public services must be forgo the right to strike.

13) Influence

I am not so arrogant as to believe that there aren’t other perspectives or ways of looking at things, but this is where I come from, politically, and I am proud to say, that Margaret Thatcher had a profound and enduring influence on me and my political development.