Conservative Party Chairman Richard Fuller announces scope of General Election review

Today, Conservative Party Chairman, Richard Fuller CBE MP, announced further details of the General Election and Party review. 

Following our defeat in the 2024 General Election, the Chairman of the Party has decided that the review should be a root and branch review of each area of the Party, and not be limited to the election campaign in isolation. 

Today the Chairman has announced that Lord Patrick McLoughlin and the outgoing chairman of the National Convention, Lord Peter Booth, will chair this review.

They will lead a panel of fellow Conservatives, and made up of a panel, which will be made up of:

• Danielle Dunfield-Prayero, our General Election 2024 candidate in Wimbledon

• Cllr Heather Williams, Conservative Group Leader on South Cambridgeshire Council

• Anne Connell, East of Scotland Voluntary Party Convenor

• Matt Vickers MP for Stockton South

• Virginia Crosbie, former MP for Ynys Mon

• Mehfuz Ahmed from London Area Conservatives

• Lizzie Hacking of Next Gen Conservatives

• Our new National Convention Chairman, Julian Ellacott

These appointments have been made following submissions from the Party Board.

This panel will draw up the wide breadth of experience and expertise from across the party, including from our membership, current and former MPs, peers, local and regional government, candidates, the National Convention, professional staff and even former members.

The panel will also be supported in their work by Dame Amanda Milling, former Conservative Party Chairman, and Stephen Massey, Conservative Party CEO.  

The core themes of the review will be: 

1. To determine the reasons for the Conservative Party's long-term performance in all nations and regions. 

2. To assess how the Party performed against different opposition parties, and how that should inform our future strategies. 

3. To analyse how various elements of the campaign strategy (e.g. voter targeting, digital, volunteer engagement, communications/messaging) performed in practice and compared to the underlying plan. 

4. To assess the role of the Parliamentary party since 2010, and its impact on elections. 

5. To assess the motivation, strength and organisation of volunteers and members in the 2024 election. 

6. Review the process of composing the manifesto and the impact of policies in the campaign. 

7. To make recommendations for change and improvement in every area of the Party – the Parliamentary Party and other elected representatives, the Voluntary Party, and the professional organisation (including CCHQ). 

In making these recommendations on improving the Party, the review will outline how it sees the Party can best:  

1. Reconnect itself more effectively to our cities, towns, communities, citizens and country. 

2. Establish a core credo of shared conservative values and principles and strategies to promote them in society. 

3. Identify, develop and nurture the next generation of talented leaders and activists with a commitment to public service based on conservative values. 

4. Equip the Party with modern, effective campaigning techniques and tools that are sustainable and deliverable. 

5. Update the Party's governance, at all levels, to provide a robust and representative foundation for the future. 

The recommendations of the review will be tracked by the Board through to completion with rigour and scrutiny. 

The review will also prepare a report of its initial findings by 2 November 2024 in order to present its findings to the new Leader of the Conservative Party, together with a work plan that outlines the plans to complete this review.

Speaking at the Conservative Party Conference the Party Chairman said: 

"The review will be empowered to make recommendations for reform in all aspects of our Party and will then oversee the implementation of those recommendations with real accountability on the Party leadership to deliver. 

“The review must equip the party to fight and win elections at all levels. 

“It must modernise our campaigning. 

“It must provide the training needed to upskill our activists. 

“It must expand the voice of members in policy making. 

“It must enhance the rights of local party members in the candidate selection process. 

“And much, much more. 

“In short, the review must revitalise our Party and get it back to being the election winning machine it once was.”