Caroline Dinenage and Stuart Andrew: Sport plays to Conservative values and we want to foster that link for the future

The Rt Hon Stuart Andrew MP and Dame Caroline Dinenage MP who are founding supporters of Conservatives in Sport which launches tonight.

 Our country’s great history can be told through our sporting triumphs. Sport remains one of Britain’s greatest exports. It’s central to our national identity.

Sport encapsulates the values and traditions Conservatives hold dear. It provides people with freedom and opportunity to better themselves and their community. It promotes respect, and shows perseverance and hard work pays off.

We’ve both experienced the unique ability of sport to inspire and unite. It knits our society together, bringing social unity, a sense of belonging, and encouraging aspiration.

From PE in schools and grassroots clubs, to the elite athletes representing the UK on the world stage, it’s vital we nurture our great sporting culture so it continues to thrive.

That’s why we’ve launched Conservatives in Sport, our new forum to work with industry leaders, grassroots organisations, sporting professionals and enthusiasts to advocate for the power of sport.

Starting with our launch event in Westminster tonight, we’ll provide the arena for the best brains in sport, the most passionate community volunteers, and leading Conservative politicians to meet, talk and forge a shared vision for a new dawn of British sport.

The sports sector needs to be heard. Conservatives in Sport will be its voice.

 The Labour Government’s economic management is devastating the sports sector. They’ve slapped industry and charities with their awful Jobs Tax, scrapped the £57 million Opening Schools Facilities Grant and the National Citizen Service, cast uncertainty over school PE and games funding, including the £35 million promised by the previous Conservative Government for cricket in state schools, and appointed one of their donor cronies to head up the football regulator.

We’ve heard from the horse racing industry, concerned about levies on gambling affecting the future of the sport, and charities with equal worries about tax rises increasing black market gambling. People in football are anxious about plans for the regulator, while fans tell us they want protections for the game they love. Schools are selling their playing fields due to loss of funding, while NHS statistics tell us childhood obesity and physical inactivity is trending up.

What do these three issues have in common? No one involved believes Labour are listening.

It’s clear: the Government has dropped the ball.

But we Conservatives know the worth of the sports sector to the UK economy, the health of the nation, and our global reputation. We also know this is only the beginning.

We know the value of sport in showcasing the best of Britain. The Premier League reaches 1.87 billion people worldwide, securing our place at the pinnacle of global sport. Our rich history of sporting excellence creates opportunities for growth, investment and diplomacy.

We know that sport boosts physical and mental wellbeing, and that exercise is the best medicine there is. As obesity levels rise, it’s critical we improve physical activity and sport in the entire population. By getting more people more active, we can take the load off our health and welfare systems, becoming a healthier, happier nation.

And, as Conservatives, we know that sport has untapped social capital that will build stronger communities. Due to spiralling immigration and crime, we need this more than ever. With greater investment in school and community sports, we can give the next generation something better to live for.

While the Government are failing to listen to the broad spectrum of sporting expertise we have in the UK, as part of the Conservative Party Policy Renewal Programme, we’re inviting anyone with knowledge and expertise to diagnose the problems at the heart of public policy and make suggestions about how we can reboot the way Government works.

So, most importantly of all, we Conservatives know the policy that will make British sport fit for the future begins, not in Whitehall, but with the people who immerse themselves in the sector every day.

Conservatives in Sport is the best platform to convene world-beaters from across the sports sector to raise the bar of these policy discussions. This is essential as we think about the policies our party will bring forward in the future.

Join us to be part of the movement.

You’ll attend exclusive networking events and roundtables to hear from sporting trailblazers, contribute to the Party’s most comprehensive policy review in a generation, be at the forefront of our research and insights into the sporting world, and enjoy opportunities to celebrate great British sporting successes alongside likeminded enthusiasts.

Conservatives in Sport will keep the Conservative Party in the fast lane, driving the nation’s sporting dialogue through engagement with the sporting world, and celebrating the enormous power of sport to improve wellbeing, build social cohesion, empower communities and individuals, and inspire excellence.

Sport is central to who we are as Conservatives and as a nation. Conservatives in Sport is the future.