conservatives

• Founded from the Tory Party and Whip party in 1834
• Sits on the centre-right on the political spectrum
• Key policies of Eurosceptism, conversatism, free-market economics and unionism
• Factions - One Nation’ Conservatism - supported welfare state in 1950s and 60s, wanted to remove damaging divides between rich and poor
• Factions - Thatcherism/New Right - late 1970s to 80s, blended free-market economics with tough social policies on law and order and traditional morality
• Economy - historically believed in free-market ecoomics and low taxation
• Economy - 2008 financial crisis was dealt with a period of austerity, cutting public spending to reduce budget deficit
• Economy - 2019 - promised not to raise income tax, VAT or National Insurance
• Economy - 2022 mini budget slashed corporate tax and national insurance
• Law and order - known as the party of law and order, tough on crime and offenders
• Law and order - 2019, 20,000 more police and tougher sentencing for criminals
• Welfare - believe benefits create dependency culture but invest in NHS, 2019 - extra funding for the NHS, with 50,000 more nurses and 50 million more GP surgery appointments a year
• Welfare - 2022 - refuses to extend free school meals eligibility despite cost of living crisis
• Welfare - 2019 - wanted to retain benefits cap
• Foreign policy - Eurosceptist party, a dividing issue within the Conservatives
• Foreign policy - very anti-immigration
• Foreign policy - 2019 wanted an Australia-style points-based system to control immigration
• Foriegn policy - 2023 new immigration bill - would allow government to criminalise, detain or deport asylum seekers + puts annual cap on how many can claim asylum through safe routes