What does it mean to be a Conservative now?

Boris Johnson accused of turning Tories into the Brexit Party rebadged

Conservative Party badges
(Image credit: Matt Cardy/Getty Images)

The dramatic events in Westminster this week have left members of the ruling party questioning the very definition of a Conservative.

Paul Goodman, editor of grass-roots Tory blog ConservativeHome, has declared “the end of the Conservative Party as we have known it” after Boris Johnson removed the whip from 21 of his own MPs for rebelling against the Government in a bid to prevent a no-deal Brexit.

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Hollie Clemence is the UK executive editor. She joined the team in 2011 and spent six years as news editor for the site, during which time the country had three general elections, a Brexit referendum, a Covid pandemic and a new generation of British royals. Before that, she was a reporter for IHS Jane’s Police Review, and travelled the country interviewing police chiefs, politicians and rank-and-file officers, occasionally from the back of a helicopter or police van. She has a master’s in magazine journalism from City University, London, and has written for publications and websites including TheTimes.co.uk and Police Oracle.