This post was featured as an article on ConservativeHome in June 2022. “I used to vote Conservative, but I can’t do it anymore,” a resident explained, his voice filled with exasperation. He was in his late 30s, renting a flat with his wife and two children in London, and aspiring to own a home in…

When I was running for election in May, I was often asked what I thought “success” looks like in an elected representative. Is it the size of an election majority? A particular policy’s implementation? Or effectively representing a certain community? Each time I was asked this, I reflected on what a good question it was.…

When it comes to politics, I often get asked why I remain upbeat, in spite of the way the political world works. To each person that asks me this, I explain that I am consciously naïve. The average company founder is in their early 30s when they start their company. Why? In business, your 30s…

In a serendipitous encounter in London’s Soho in 2013, I met my wife Laura, a Colombian. After she returned to Colombia to finish her law degree, in 2016 we decided to settle together in the UK. I was working in London and, as Laura was graduating, it made sense to make the UK our home.…

Losing a job is stressful. For many, it can involve a loss of identity combined with new social and financial worries. These pressures, particularly when the job loss was unexpected, can challenge even the most resilient among us. In normal times, a job loss is testing. In current times, it can be life changing. The…

UK healthcare is under pressure. Despite the hard work of NHS staff across the country, during 2020 the number of patients waiting over a year for NHS treatment has doubled. As of October this year, the one-year NHS waiting list has over 110,000 patients on it.[1] At the same time, the IFS has been forecasting…

Paternity Leave: A Forgotten Tool? For every man expecting his first child, there comes the moment when he confronts his work’s paternity policy for the first time. For me, as a One Nation Tory who believes in fair government, my encounter with my employer’s paternity leave policy was a moment of bemusement. I am the…

When UK income tax was first levied in 1798, it was a temporary measure used to fund defence. As the social contract between state and citizens evolved over the following 150 years, so too did taxation. Both today are permanent and accepted features of British life. A key part of today’s social contract is social…

When future eyes look back on the Coronavirus crisis, the decisions made by Government at the time will be central in people’s minds. As the crisis grows, it is imperative that the Conservative Government maintains both the health and economic policy initiative, responding to developments in a timely and considered manner. Health measures are being…

To an outsider looking in, the House of Lords can seem a quirk in one of the world’s oldest and most vibrant democracies. The Lords, with its unelected nature, makes it the target of all emotions – debate and discussion, praise and critique, appreciation and blame. For decades, the Conservative Party has shied away from…