I defected to the Liberal Democrats because of Boris Johnson – now is the time for other Conservatives to do the same

I have many friends and colleagues in the party who I deeply value and respect. That won’t change. But I urge them to challenge themselves. Is this prime minister really the right leader for our country?

Simon Bishop
Thursday 25 July 2019 10:43 BST
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Boris Johnson's Cabinet revealed

Six months ago, I decided to quit the Conservative Party if Boris Johnson became its leader and prime minister. I’m not only sticking to that pledge but going further and defecting to the Liberal Democrats. Here’s why.

Firstly, Britain is going backwards on all the issues most people care about and I see no sign that Johnson, or the Conservatives more widely, have the political will or ideas to tackle them.

We need a massive national house building programme, yet the Conservatives have tinkered at the edges. We need a bold solution to the social care crisis; their attempt in the 2017 manifesto lasted 24 hours. We need to radically reduce generational inequality – the increasing wealth of over 65s, decreasing wealth of under 35s. They’ve done the opposite. Poverty has ballooned. Ditto inequality. Social mobility has flat-lined. The excesses of capitalism, like huge CEO salaries, continue unabated.

There was a time when the Conservatives were a party of pragmatism and ideas, of aspiration and opportunity for all. Now, beholden to its own extremists and wealthy interest groups, it is a party for the rich and for those on the hard right.

Secondly, the party's handling of Brexit has been a disgrace. The party that exists to “conserve” is pursuing the most radical, ideological, policy in living memory – a “do or die” Brexit. What party makes their top priority one that will make the country poorer and drive massive social division?

Thirdly, Johnson isn’t fit to be prime minister. We need an exceptional leader, someone with integrity, who will always put the country first, especially in a time of national crisis. Johnson is the polar opposite. His is a track record of self-interest, of foot-in-mouth, of a wanton willingness to mislead the public. One day he says he's a “One Nation” Conservative, the next day he announces tax cuts for the rich. He cannot be trusted.

Despite all that, I didn’t think I’d ever join a new party. Politics is tribal. You swear allegiance to one side and so much of that is based on trust, loyalty and friendship. Then there’s the “biggest difference” challenge – if you want to help make Britain a world-class place to live, doesn’t it make sense to be in the governing party? And if it is veering off in the wrong direction, shouldn’t you stay and fight?

Leaving a tribe isn’t easy. But eventually, you reluctantly conclude your tribe isn’t actually yours anymore. You don’t feel welcome. You feel ashamed rather than proud to be associated with it. It is no longer home.

So where next? You can walk off the political pitch completely. It is so ugly at the moment that I have sympathy for those that do. But that isn’t my style – I believe it’s important to fight for my country.

Critical to my decision, in the Liberal Democrats we have a party with the right values, leadership, political will and ideas to make Britain world-class again.

I had the privilege to work in the Conservative-Liberal Democrat Coalition from 2014-2015 and saw first-hand their willingness to fight for what was right for the country, at the expense, of course, of their own popularity and electoral success.

At the heart of those efforts was Jo Swinson, a genuine values-led leader, with the courage to do the right thing for Britain.

She – and the wider party – have bold plans on housing, social care, generational inequality and other major challenges of the day. They want to reduce poverty and inequality.

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As the Conservatives and Labour increasingly veer off to political extremes, the Liberal Democrats are the only party that wants to inhabit the centre-ground, to be there for the sensible middle.

Their membership has also grown from 40,000 in 2015 to 107,000 today. This is a party of renewal. A rapidly expanding movement of hope.

I have many friends and colleagues in the Conservative Party who I deeply value and respect. That won’t change. But I urge them to challenge themselves. Is Johnson really the right leader for our country?, does he have the political will and ideas to tackle the big issues?, are the Conservatives still a party for all or just for the right wing few?, do you still feel at home in it?

If the answer to those questions is no, then why not follow me – and many others – and join the only party with the values, leadership, policies and political will to make Britain world-leading again. This is why I am defecting. I hope many others do too.

Simon Bishop was special adviser to the secretary of state for International Development, 2014-16

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