Conservative stance 2023

Question 1

law and order (one-nation?)

Answer 1

pragmatic - response to increase in crime = 14% increase from Sept 2021-Sept 2022

Cameron favoured rehabilitation for drug addicts
Tory Reform Group (one nation faction) - concerned that there are no safe and legal routes for asylum seekers
Former justice Sec Kenneth Clarke wanted to lower prison numbers
May concerned that too much stop and search on blacks without suspicion

Question 2

law and order (one nation rebut if Q is NOW)

Answer 2

clamp down on law and order inherited from 2019 manifesto - crime at the time = 7.25 decrease in 2018 from 2017 - so is more ideological not pragmatic

A03: therefore, the conservatives are not one nation (2019 or now)

A03: they were one nation under Cameron and a bit under May

Question 3

law and order (new right)

Answer 3

Police crime, sentencing and courts act 2022 - limits on protesting
- limit on start and end time
- noise limits
- applies to all demonstrations
- criminate lock-on protests
- suspicion-less stop and search
recently used against Republic in the Coronation where head Graham Smith was arrested ON HIS WAY to the protest

Prevent Scheme - anti terrorism measures
tough on crime in neighbourhoods
tough on grooming gangs

5th pledge - stop the small boats
- anti-immigration
- ‘invasion’ - language used by Suella Braverman
- pull out of ECHR

socially conservative
- no extension on ban of conversion therapy
- blocked gender recognition Bill 2022 in Scotland
- Same Sex Couples Act 2013 - only able to pass with Labour votes (A03 - shows division within the party)

Question 4

law and order (2019 manifesto)

Answer 4

extend use of whole life tariffs
improve safety and security in prison
increase ‘police protections’

A03: new right

Question 5

welfare (one nation)

Answer 5

Covid
- rollout of the furlough scheme
- wrote off NHS debt to help fight covid
2019 manifesto
- levelling up - 20,000 police officers and 50,000 nurses

4th promise - decrease NHS waiting time
- £3.3 billion increase funding

Red Wall tories (seats previously held by Labour) - rely on the levelling up campaign
vs
Blue Wall tories - reluctant to ask their richer constituents to pay for levelling up
A03: shows division

autumn statement - Jeremy Hunt emphasised ‘compassion’
- pension triple lock kept
- increase school budget - £2.3 billion/year

Cost of living support
- keeping energy price guarantee
- 10.1% rise in benefits
- social housing rent capped

Question 6

welfare (new right)

Answer 6

• reduce benefits - bedroom tax - ruled by ECHR as against HR 2019 - still in effect
• reduce Universal Credit by £20/week (Oct 2021)

autumn statement - Jeremy Hunt stated ‘public spending discipline’ - implies limiting public spending - more in line with Thatcherite belief

therefore - have new right intentions but bc pragmatism - more one nation rn

Question 7

foreign policy (new right)

Answer 7

EU withdrawal Act (Windsor framework undermines this?)
reduction in international aid - 0.7% -> 0.5% GNI decrease
UN family planning and family agencies - 60%-85% decrease in funding from the UK

more insular and eurosceptic = more nationalistic

Question 8

foreign policy (one nation)

Answer 8

commitment to NATO
commitment to Ukraine - £4.6 billion in aid + Operation Interflux (train ukrainian soldiers)
Windsor Framework - international cooperation - but also off the back of Brexit - bit of a mixed picture - can also be classified as domestic policy

alliance + collective security

Question 9

Rishi’s 5 promises

Answer 9

1. halve inflation
2. shorten NHS waiting time
3. grow the economy
4. falling national debt
5. stop the small boats