The Remaking of Conservatism: Boris Johnson and the Politics of Brexit

Abstract

AbstractWhy has the Conservative Party been such a successful political party? One of the reasons lies in the ability of its leaders to understand and navigate the pressure of the politics of power and the politics of support, adjusting to changing circumstances and being focussed on what is needed in order to gain and hold power in the particular circumstances of the British political system. Since the publication of The Conservative Nation in 1974 the party has reinvented itself twice, first under Thatcher and now under Johnson. The character of the remaking under Johnson is analysed together with some of the problems for pursuing a successful post‐Brexit statecraft, particularly delivering the ‘levelling‐up’ agenda and the ‘global Britain’ agenda in ways which will consolidate rather than fragment the new Conservative coalition, and preserve the Union.