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. 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.
History The Common Sense Group was created in mid-2020. By November, it included 59 MPs and seven members of the House of Lords. Its president is Sir Edward Leigh, MP.
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". Letter to the Editor signed by Lee Anderson • Gareth Bacon • Scott Benton • Bob Blackman • Ben Bradley • Brendan Clarke-Smith • Philip Davies • Nick Fletcher • Jonathan Gullis • Sally-Ann Hart • John Hayes • Tom Hunt • Edward Leigh • Andrew Lewer • Chris Loder • Marco Longhi • Craig Mackinlay • Karl McCartney • Pauline Latham • David Morris • Andrew Rosindell • James Sunderland • Martin Vickers • Giles Watling • William Wragg • Baroness Eaton • Lord Lilley
The group's manifesto, Common Sense: Conservative Thinking for a Post-Liberal Age, was published in May 2021. 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." Authors: Foreword: Michael Nazir-Ali • Preface: John Hayes • Essays: Gareth Bacon • James Sunderland • David Maddox • Edward Leigh • Sally-Ann Hart • Danny Kruger • Peter Lilley • Marco Longhi • Chris Loder • Tom Hunt • Andrew Lewer • Joy Morrissey • Nick Fletcher • Lord Horam of Grimsargh • Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts • Alexander Stafford • Robin Millar • Fiona Bruce • David Burrowes
Members
At their peak in November 2020, the Common Sense Group included the following members, listed by the positions they held at the time:
Conservative MPs
Members of the House of Lords:
Others:
Lee Anderson, Danny Kruger, Andrew Rosindell, Ben Bradley, Jonathan Gullis and Marco Longhi were formerly members of the group, prior to their defection to Reform UK.
See also Social class in the United Kingdom Blue Collar Conservativism New Conservatives (UK)
References