Tory Reform Group
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The Tory Reform Group (TRG) is a group within the United Kingdom's Conservative Party, that uphold the One Nation Tory vision, which they descibe as being the promotion of:
-Social justice
-Political progress
-Prosperity for all
It is a common misconception that the TRG is pro-European. However, the group holds no official views on issues relating to Europe as it is focussed on domestic policy issues.
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Decline
In recent years, the Tory Reform Group has lost influence among core Conservative Party activists. Outside of this group, however, membership has continued to grow as the organisation appeals to individuals closer to the centre of the political landscape.
The number of prominent members of the group in positions of influence in the party has gradually declined. For example the most prominent member of the Shadow Cabinet who was also a member of the TRG, Damian Green, was forced from the Shadow Cabinet in 2004.
There are many reasons for this decline. The rebirth of economic liberalism has meant that many Conservative members no longer saw the need for a centrist position on economics. The growing importance of Europe as an issue in British politics also meant that the Conservative Party's euroscepticism attracted new eurosceptic members. New Labour's moderation attracted the sort of young centrist politicians who would otherwise have been One Nation Tories.
Defections from the Conservative Party
Because of the decline of influence within the Conservative Party, many younger members of the TRG have recently defected to a more left wing parties. The following TRG members subsequently left the Conservative Party to other parties:
Emma Nicholson Susan Bell Arthur Bell Hugh Dykes John Lee Paul Howell Bill Newton Dunn Peter Price Keith Raffan Anna McCurley
Shaun Woodward Alan Howarth Peter Temple-Morris
Sir Anthony Meyer John Stevens Brendan Donnelly Ian Gilmour
Officers
- President: Ken Clarke
- Patrons: David Curry, Stephen Dorrell, Michael Heseltine, Douglas Hurd, Chris Patten, Malcolm Rifkind, Tim Sainsbury, Ian Taylor, George Young, Lord Hunt of Wirral, Lord Kingsland, Peter Walker.
- Vice-Presidents: Alistair Burt, Damian Green, Jonathan Evans, Caroline Jackson.
External links
- Tory Reform Group (http://www.trg.org.uk/) official site