Why Britain’s Conservative Party Is Such a Mess

A video explainer from The Dispatch.

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The British Conservative Party will have been in power for 15 years by the next U.K. general election. Yet it is struggling to craft a message that resonates with the British public—and to get party members themselves to agree on what they stand for.

The U.K. has actually had three different prime ministers since September—all of them Conservative Party members.

There’s Boris Johnson, who came to power in 2019 and promised to “Get Brexit Done.” The U.K. did officially leave the European Union in 2020, but Johnson faced countless scandals during his time in power. Most notably he was accused of violating his own government’s COVID-19 lockdown rules to hold parties with his staff.

These scandals led to more than 50 members of Johnson’s party quitting their cabinet positions in protest of his leadership. He eventually resigned, paving the way for a leadership contest between Liz Truss, his former foreign secretary, and Rishi Sunak, his former chancellor of the exchequer and head of the British treasury.

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  1. Avatar photo
    MarqueG68

    Thanks for this, Jonathan—I hope Guy Denton watches it and learns something about your amazing country.

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    Alex RC

    I hope we see Jonathan on a Dispatch Live at some point - I've enjoyed both of his videos so far on the Dispatch YouTube.

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  3. Kay Bee

    A member of the very cynical British public here. Great explainer. Now do Labour :-)

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      Santosguy

      Labour = Cabage.

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  4. Yvonnemscoggins

    I found this very helpful, Thank you!

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  5. Mcmileski

    Thanks so much for this explainer. It really helped me understand UK politics better.

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      Nate Dunlevy

      Right? Geeze, I'm really thankful for the Dispatch.

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  6. Thconnors

    A helpful analysis. English conservatism is very different from American conservativism. In addition, America has a strong faith tradition among those not living in the East and West Coasts. Thank God for that! While the UK has not for sometime. Thanks be to God that I live in America!

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    1. Deleted Comment

      This comment has been deleted

  7. Townsendell3

    Jonathan, good work. I think that the addition of some video content like this on the Dispatch is great.

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  8. Nicco

    Video explainers are a great addition to The Dispatch's offerings. Well done, Jonathan!

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      Jonathan Chew vertical-nib Author

      Thank you :) We're hopefully going to be doing more of these going forward, so if you have any suggestions/topic recommendations that would be a good fit for video, don't hesitate to let me know!

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    Ethan Cordray

    This was quite helpful, thank you! The explanation that the Conservative Party is basically a coalition of four different sub-parties helps me understand it quite a bit better. It sounds like they're trending toward the American two-party model, in which both parties are basically prefab coalitions.

    Though from an American perspective, as dysfunctional as the Tories have been been, it still seems like they're less self-destructive and incoherent than our Republican party. And as crazy as the revolving door of prime ministers is, at least it demonstrates that there's a functioning system of kicking out failed leaders and replacing them with someone new (and who knows, maybe they'll eventually find somebody who's actually good -- though they might have to run through every Oxford grad first).

    This video format was entertaining and effective, too. I would appreciate more of this! The video with attached transcript is a good combination. It reminds me of NPR back when it was good.

    Finally: Good presentation work, Mr. Chew! If I may ask, where is your accent from? I think of myself as rather good at placing British accents (for an American, at least) but I couldn't quite guess it.

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    1. Avatar photocircle-angle-nib
      Jonathan Chew vertical-nib Author

      Thank you for the comments & feedback! I have to be honest, looking at the issues in another country is quite refreshing amidst all the U.S. midterm election (and 2024 election) commentary.

      And to answer your question, I was born in Oxford but grew up in the U.S. southwest. According to the side of my family who still lives in greater London, I sound quite fully American at this point ;)

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        Ethan Cordray

        Delightful to hear your "origin story"! So I imagine the British elements of your accent most likely come specifically from your parents, and and it's that Americanized influence that made it unplaceable for me. Thanks!

        As for looking at other countries' politics: honestly, the US could use a whole lot more of that in general. Our political situation seems to be entering a period of real instability, bringing with it the possibility of major fundamental changes; comparing us to other places could really help us avoid going in some awful directions, and maybe find some better ones.

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    2. Nicco

      thank you for asking the question I wanted to ask... His accent is subtle, which makes it difficult for me to place as well.

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      1. P Satter

        It is a good explainer. My own impression was of an accent that seems North American with a light dusting of an Irish one, on the "r's" and some of the "o's."

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    Benjamin_w_lang

    Love this explainer! Well done!

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