The Tory Reform Group is a group within the United Kingdom's Conservative Party, that uphold the One Nation Tory vision.
They are opposed to withdrawal from the European Union, and support British entry into the Euro.
Decline
In recent years, the Tory Reform Group has lost influence. The number of prominent members of the group in positions of influence in the party is gradually declining. For example the most prominent member of the Shadow Cabinet who was also a member of the TRG, Damian Green, was forced from the Shadow Cabinet in 2004. The "wet" views of Ken Clarke were seen as the primary reason for his two consecutive losses of the Conservative leadership, under radically different electoral situations.
There are many reasons for this decline. The rebirth of economic liberalism has meant that many Conservative members no longer saw the need for a centrist position on economics. The growing importance of Europe as an issue in British politics also meant that the Conservative Party's euroscepticism attracted new eurosceptic members. New Labour's moderation attracted the sort of young centrist politicians who would otherwise have been One Nation Tories.
Defections from the Conservative Party
Because of the decline of influence within the Conservative Party, many younger members of the TRG have recently defected to a more left wing parties. The following TRG members subsequently left the Conservative Party to other parties:
Liberal Democrats
Emma Nicholson
Susan Bell
Arthur Bell
Hugh Dykes
John Lee
Paul Howell
Bill Newton Dunn
Peter Price
Keith Raffan
Anna McCurley
Labour Party
Shaun Woodward
Alan Howarth
Peter Temple-Morris
Pro Euro Conservative Party
Sir Anthony Meyer
John Stevens
Brendan Donnelly
Ian Gilmour
Officers
- President: Ken Clarke
- Patrons: David Curry, Stephen Dorrell, Michael Heseltine, Douglas Hurd, Chris Patten, Malcolm Rifkind, Tim Sainsbury, Ian Taylor, George Young, Lord Hunt of Wirral, Lord Kingsland , Peter Walker.
- Vice-Presidents: Alistair Burt, Damian Green, Jonathan Evans, Caroline Jackson.
