Tim Bale’s new book takes us on a rollercoaster ride through the Tories’ fortunes over the last decade. Since 2016, they’ve transformed themselves from a mainstream, centre-right party to one built one upon a combination of radical right-wing populism, free-market fundamentalism, and fiscal constraint. Can the party survive in its current, unstable form? Or will it be blown apart by its contradictions, its factions and the competition between leadership hopefuls?
At this event, Professsor Tim Bale and David Gauke had a lunchtime discussion of all this and more.
Tim Bale, Professor of Politics, Queen Mary University of London
David Gauke, Former Conservative MP and Cabinet Minister
About the author:
Tim Bale is Professor of Politics at Queen Mary University of London and a Trustee of the Social Market Foundation. He is the author of several books on British and European party politics, and a frequent contributor to broadcast and print media. His twitter handle is @ProfTimBale, which doubles as the name of his blog.
About the Chair:
David Gauke is Head of Public Policy at Macfarlanes. In 2005, David was elected Member of Parliament for South West Hertfordshire, becoming a Shadow Treasury Minister in 2007. On the formation of the Coalition Government in 2010, he was appointed as the minister responsible for the tax system, first as Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury and then, from 2014, as Financial Secretary to the Treasury.
In 2016, David was appointed Chief Secretary to the Treasury where he attended Cabinet and had responsibility for public spending. In 2017, he was promoted to Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and in January 2018 he was appointed Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor, becoming the first solicitor to become Lord Chancellor.
David left government in July 2019. He is an Honorary Fellow of St Edmund Hall, Oxford, an Honorary Freeman of the City of London and an Honorary Bencher of Middle Temple.