I am not a Conservative. I have not voted Conservative, and nothing I am about to write should be mistaken for support for the party or its programme. What I am going to argue is that the Conservative Party's near-collapse as an effective opposition is bad for Britain — bad for governance, bad for accountability, and bad for the health of parliamentary democracy.
Why Opposition Matters
The British constitution places enormous power in the hands of a majority government. The Prime Minister controls the legislative timetable, the civil service, the security services, and an enormous range of executive powers exercised through statutory instruments that receive minimal parliamentary scrutiny.
The check on this power — beyond the courts and the Lords — is parliamentary opposition. An opposition that can credibly promise to be an alternative government, can forensically scrutinise the government's programme, and can build public support for different approaches.
The Current State
The Conservative Party received the worst share of the vote in a general election since 1832. It has 121 MPs. Its internal debates are dominated by a culture war that has limited appeal beyond its existing base.
Kemi Badenoch is an intelligent, combative leader. Whether she can unite a parliamentary party with deep ideological divisions and rebuild electoral support in the communities that abandoned the Conservatives in 2024 is genuinely uncertain.
What Rebuilding Requires
Political parties rebuild through one of two routes: either a dramatic policy renewal that redefines what the party stands for, or the patient accumulation of trust through effective opposition work and demonstrated competence. Labour did both after 1997; the Conservatives must find their equivalent path.
