No Turning Back is a group within the
British Conservative Party
The Conservative Party, officially the Conservative and Unionist Party and also known colloquially as the Tories, is one of the two main political parties in the United Kingdom, along with the Labour Party. It is the current governing party, ...
advocating
Thatcherite policies. It was founded in 1985 to defend
Margaret Thatcher's free-market reforms.
The group was named in honour of Thatcher's 1980 Conservative conference quote "U-turn if you want to. The lady's not for turning."
No Turning Back published less material in the nineties and became involved in Conservative party in-fighting, resulting in both
Michael Portillo and
Francis Maude leaving the group,
but became more prominent during
Iain Duncan Smith's time as Conservative leader because he had been a member until he was elected.
Since 2005 the No Turning Back group has been chaired by
John Redwood. It reportedly has "about 100 members" with "quite a lot" from the 2010 intake. It has published pamphlets on the subjects of taxation and social mobility in the past, although the group exists mainly as a private dining club, meeting monthly, usually inviting a Minister or external expert to speak. There are currently no plans to launch future pamphlets.
The group has been seen as "deeply antagonistic" towards
David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron (born 9 October 1966) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2016 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2005 to 2016. He previously served as Leader o ...
, specifically early on in his leadership.
Plots
The No Turning Back Group allegedly discussed their 'grumbles' at David Cameron over a bowl of soup at the so-called Dinner Party Plot (2013). John Redwood refutes these claims.
Brightly Coloured Ties
Due to the group, brightly coloured ties have become a symbol of political purity on the right of the conservative party. Following the Death of
Eric Forth in 2006, his widow donated a stock of his sizable brightly coloured tie selection to the group. The annual "Eric Forth Memorial Award" was subsequently established, 'for the MP who had done most to carry on Eric's work'. The first winner of this award was
Philip Davies who said "winning the award was one of the most special moments of my life in parliament".
Similar Groups
The group shares many aims and members with the
92 Group
The 92 Group is a right-wing grouping within the British Conservative Party. They are so named because they would meet at Conservative MP Sir Patrick Wall's home, 92 Cheyne Walk in Chelsea, London.Colin Brown,92 Group chairman survives challeng ...
(which is chaired by
Christopher Chope
Sir Christopher Robert Chope (born 19 May 1947) is a British barrister and politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Christchurch in Dorset since 1997. A member of the Conservative Party, he was first elected in 1983 for ...
, who is also a member of No Turning Back) and the
Cornerstone Group
The Cornerstone Group is a High Tory or traditional conservative political organisation within the British Conservative Party. The Group espouses traditional values as exemplified by its motto: Faith, Flag, and Family. It comprises Members of P ...
(chaired by
Sir Edward Leigh
Sir Edward Julian Egerton Leigh (born 20 July 1950) is a British Conservative Party politician who has served as a Member of Parliament (MP) since 1983.
Leigh has represented Gainsborough, Lincolnshire in the House of Commons since 1983 (rep ...
, also a member of No Turning Back).
Members
Past and current members include-
*
Nicholas Bennett
*
David Davis
*
Alan Duncan
Sir Alan James Carter Duncan (born 31 March 1957) is a British former Conservative Party politician who served as Minister of State for International Development from 2010 to 2014 and as Minister of State for Europe and the Americas from 201 ...
*
Michael Fallon
*
Eric Forth
*
Liam Fox
*
Paul Goodman
*
Neil Hamilton
*
Greg Hands
*
Alan Howarth
*
Gerald Howarth
*
Bernard Jenkin
Sir Bernard Christison Jenkin (born 9 April 1959) is a British Conservative Party politician serving as Member of Parliament (MP) for Harwich and North Essex since 2010. He also serves as chair of the Liaison Committee. He was first elected to ...
[
*]Barry Legg
Barry Charles Legg (born 30 May 1949) was the Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) for Milton Keynes South West from 1992 until the 1997 general election when he was defeated by Labour's Phyllis Starkey. Legg is the chairman of the Eurosc ...
*Greg Knight
The Right Honourable Sir Gregory Knight (born 4 April 1949) is a British politician, author and musician. He has served as the Conservative MP for East Yorkshire since 2001, having previously served as the MP for Derby North from 1983 to 1997 ...
* Edward Leigh
* Peter Lilley[
]
Publications
The group's publications include-
*"Healthy Choices" 2002
*"The Case for Lower Taxes" 2006
References
{{UK Conservative Party
Economic liberalism
Capitalism
Organisations associated with the Conservative Party (UK)
1985 establishments in the United Kingdom