The Conservative Party might have a new leader in Kemi Badenoch, but it’s still in search of its new ideological identity after its historic defeat in the general election. Liz Truss’ Popular Conservatives, inspired by the Trumpian iteration of the Republican Party, was an effort in that direction. Does Trump’s victory in the US elections mean that the Conservative Party is likely to follow in the footsteps of postliberalism and national conservatism? We revisit five posts exploring this changing ideological space on the conservative right. 

Situating Popular Conservatives in the Party’s tradition

The Conservative Party is grappling with its identity in the run up to the 2024 elections. The ideological imprint of the likes of Liz Truss, who spoke at the US Conservative Political Action Conference, seems to be abandoning the historical roots of the Conservative Party and moving towards a more Trumpian iteration. But, argues Emily Jones, this would not be the first time the Party has aligned itself ideologically with its American counterpart.

National conservatism is the new paradigm of conservative politics

It’s easy to dismiss movements like national conservatism as just another populist, far-right, or even extremist faction of conservative parties struggling to redefine themselves. But Angelos Chryssogelos argues it should be taken seriously as the new global paradigm of conservative politics, focussed on national sovereignty and the power of the state to shape culture. 

Postliberalism could reshape the Conservative Party

The intellectual movement of postliberalism is gaining attention and is likely to play an important role in reshaping the Conservative party’s future. Paul Kelly traces postliberalism’s development, from the philosophy of John Gray to figures like Patrick Deneen and argues that while all postliberals agree on their diagnosis of liberalism’s self-destruction, they offer different visions for the future.

What does Trump’s victory mean for UK politics? 

Trump’s decisive second victory in the US elections inevitably raises questions about what that means for UK Party politics. Perhaps it signals that Kemi Badenoch’s propensity to lean into the culture wars of the right will be equally rewarded? Tim Bale cautions against any straightforward reading across from the politics of one country to that of the other. 

 Why young people don’t vote Reform

Across Europe, young voters are offering their support to parties of the right and sometimes far-right. The same isn’t happening in the UK, in fact young voters are increasingly voting for parties of the left. Laura Serra argues that this aberration can partly be explained by the low voter turnout among young British voters, as well as the policy areas the UK right has been focussing on. 

All articles posted on this blog give the views of the author(s), and not the position of LSE British Politics and Policy, nor of the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Image credit: Copyright Lawrey in Shutterstock

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