Ben Spencer: If we can’t say why we believe in our country and our values, our country won’t believe in us

Dr Ben Spencer is a Shadow Minister and member of parliament for Runnymede and Weybridge.

The current level of political disillusionment really should concern everyone.

It doesn’t only threaten the Conservative Party but democracy itself.  In recent years people have seen a political class preoccupied at times more on themselves than delivering for the public.  With complex challenges deceptively framed as simplistic black and white choices, prioritising PR and political wins over long term strategic delivery.  And while politicians in Westminster argued over reparations and octopus sentience, people struggled to get jobs, saw their pay go down in real terms, saw crime in their neighbourhoods go unpunished and desperately worried about the future for their children.

Democracy is diminished if voters aren’t heard and elections are never seen to change anything.

Over the last decade the public have sent the message at the ballot box many times over that our system was broken and that change was needed.  The message I now hear on the doorstep is disappointment and being ‘let down’ by everyone.  This is more than frustration on a single policy issue, such as immigration, the economy, or health.  People often say Britain is not what it once was, and prospects for our children are worse than for ourselves. If we don’t address this now, they will be right.

We must not misinterpret this as a desire to hark back to the ‘good old days’.  The change people are looking for is something more important, something more fundamental. Many public figures seem to have lost the sense of pride in our past, the hope for the future, their belief in Britain.

There can be no clearer alarm signal than the recent election of some MPs on manifestos primarily relating to foreign regions and their interests; when an extremist minority take to the streets to hijack protests and fly foreign flags while condemning our own, spreading division and intimidation.  It cannot be right this is normalised while society just looks on, the police disempowered to act due to political sensitivities. Laws must apply and be enforced consistently, regardless of the identity of those who break them. Mutual trust between citizens and authorities depends on equality of both rights and obligations.

This is more important than the Conservatives’ or any mainstream party’s electoral success.

We are at a crossroads in history.  Global instability is rising, and hostile states are working to undermine us and sow discord.

The greatest weapon Russia and China have deployed against us is to stop us believing in ourselves.  Reports are that increasing numbers of younger people would not fight for our country.  While I would disagree with the judgement, I understand the apathy that has caused this view.

Why would you fight for a country that continually argues against itself, where many are ashamed of its history, where flying our flags is seen by some as a racist shibboleth, and the interests of vocal fringe groups get more attention than mainstream views and principles?

Why would you strive to succeed in a country where success is demonised, the wealthy and prosperous seen as cheats or targets?  Or where you find yourself unsuccessfully competing in the job market due to the distortive effects of cheap foreign labour and wage suppression?  Why would you fight for a country where you know you won’t have it as good as your parents, but you and your children will have to pay back their debt, built up through our day-to-day spending profligacy?

A free and democratic country cannot succeed with these distorted values.  Nor can disguising the real challenges and trade-offs we face with offers of simple solutions or hand-outs be tolerated.  The public are fed up with empty promises and transactional politics.  The public want us to wake up and reassert the pride, the hope, and belief in our country. Pride in our past and the sacrifices those before us made, hope and aspiration for ourselves and our children, and belief in Britain and the United Kingdom herself and the principles we stand for.

Our promotion of Freedom, Security, and Opportunity.

This goes beyond any single issue or campaign, and must be the foundation of all we seek to achieve; an overarching vision and commitment to our future and our country’s success, and to follow the right path and make the difficult choices to achieve this.

It means making the case for aspiration and success, while asserting that the value of a person is not their job title, financial contribution or status but that they contribute to our society and communities in some way, wherever they end up in life.

It means fundamentally changing how we measure our economic success, accounting for the massive contributions of parents, carers, and volunteers.  These are benefits to all which are currently excluded from our measurements of GDP, distorting our priorities.

It means reforming our tax system to incentivise people who reduce demand on public services and the State, by introducing a solidarity tax relief for people who invest in private health, independent education, pensions, or providing care to a loved one.

It means reframing spending in children’s early development and education as an investment for the future.  Ensuring when setting budgets we are sighted on the benefits and savings over the lifetime, creating opportunities and breaking political short-termism.

It means being clear that children do best in a stable family home, whatever shape that may take, and we should support, encourage and promote stable families and committed relationships.

It means using market forces to reduce legal migration and prevent exploitation of the welfare state by ensuring those not eligible to access free services pay their fair share.

It means ensuring that citizenship both has value and is cherished, requiring at a minimum a proof of commitment to our country and service, not just a box-ticking ‘life in the UK’ fact test for foreign nationals.

It means strengthening partnerships with countries who share our values and beliefs, while standing up to those who seek to undermine our society or security.

It means respecting service and supporting our uniformed services at home and abroad to the hilt.

People are crying out for their politicians to stand for something more than re-election. This is just the start of the conversation we need to have in society and as part of the Conservative’s Policy Renewal 2030 programme under Kemi Badenoch.

If we can demonstrate to the public what the United Kingdom means to us and why we believe in it, we will regain their support, but what is more, we will deserve it and it will be sustained.  As a people we will remember why we are proud of our past, have hope and aspiration for the future, and – most importantly – a common vision based on shared principles that all of our citizens can get behind.

We should not define ourselves by what we are or are not against. As conservatives we need to be true to our values and stand up for what we believe in.

We must wake up and believe in our country again.