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| Conservatism in the United Kingdom |
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The Common Sense Group is an informal group of MPs in the British Conservative Party. The Guardian described it as a hard-right group that was sympathetic to culture wars.[1] It was created in 2020, inspired by the European Research Group, a Eurosceptic Conservative faction. In 2021, it published a manifesto, Common Sense: Conservative Thinking for a Post-Liberal Age.
The Common Sense Group was created in mid-2020. By November, it included 59 MPs and seven members of the House of Lords.[2] Its president is Edward Leigh MP.[3]
Following an interim report on the connections between colonialism and properties now in the care of the National Trust, including links with historic slavery, members of the group signed a letter to The Telegraph in November 2020. The letter accused the National Trust of being "coloured by cultural Marxist dogma, colloquially known as the woke agenda".[4]
The group's manifesto, Common Sense: Conservative Thinking for a Post-Liberal Age, was published in May 2021.[5] John Hayes MP wrote in the Preface, "With opportunities provided by Brexit, the time for a refreshed national conversation on the defining issues of our time – nationhood, community, migration, the rule of law and public order – is now."[6][7]
At their peak in November 2020, the Common Sense Group included the following members, listed by the positions they held at the time: [4][6]
Conservative MPs
Members of the House of Lords:
Others:
Lee Anderson was formerly a member of the group, prior to his defection to Reform UK.
