Britain is in a dangerous place – it needs a Conservative answer to a changing world | Politics | News
Before his death in 1806, Young William Pitt was credited by saving Europe from Napoleon. The answer continues to be one of the most powerful statements in British political history: “Britain saved himself from his efforts and saved Europe with the example of my trust.” He reminds us that leadership is not in slogans or emotions, but made power, seriousness and delivery.
Pitt not only leads a nation in the war – he founded a talented, confident state. He made taxes reform, invested in trade and infrastructure, modernized Whitehall, and laid the foundations for the 19th century growth and global influence of England. This heritage was not ideological, but institutional. He gave Britain the ability to act in order to adapt and shape to a changing world.
We have to do the same today.
We encounter our age of uprising: war on the European continent, turmoil in the Middle East, deterioration of global trade norms, the beginning of stagnant economies and a new industrial revolution shaped by artificial intelligence, data and low carbon energy.
With clarity and purpose, the UK should rediscover its ability to act at home and abroad. This means the preparation of new generation of political leaders for the reconstruction of state ability, recalcoring national sovereignty and the government’s difficult work.
So I joined the conservatives, a new attempt by Sir Grant Shapps to train and help future conservative leaders. Good campaign is not enough. You should manage well. And this requires a serious understanding of skills, trust and how to do things in a complex world.
Today, the biggest challenge faced by the West is a crisis of sovereignty – not abstract, but practically. Democratic governments are increasingly unable to fulfill their promises to their citizens. The boundaries were not applied. Infrastructure projects last for decades. The selected ministers find their decisions overturned by opaque bureaucracy, international institutions or legal process layers that no one has voted.
This is not just annoying – dangerous. The authority of the democratic government is carved. So Brexit was important. It was a necessary step to bring decisions home. However, the work has not been done yet. Now, we need to complete the mission by regaining the state’s competence, re -evaluating the authority of the ministry and enabling the government to act in national interests without the second prediction.
We can admire Donald Trump’s instinct to challenge peace of mind, but England doesn’t need a simple anger. Needs results. Our conservative tradition is different: Practical, based on a belief in reformists and institutions – not to protect them for their own good Work better.
In contrast, labor does not offer any plan to correct the broken ones. Their instincts are always the same: postpone to international frameworks, reconstruct the old regulatory connections to Brussels and withdraw from difficult decisions in favor of a comfortable consensus. This will not provide the reform of England’s needs. The reform cannot make a consistent plan for the future.
Instead, we need a net, central-right alternative: pro-growth, pro-sovereign and completely focused on consequences. We tried to deliver in Tees Valley. Not just renewal, renewal. We supported open sea wind, green hydrogen, digital infrastructure and modern production. We cut bureaucracy, attracted global investors and showed that leveling could be more than a slogan. May be real.
It wasn’t easy. But we learned a lesson that Westminster sometimes forgot: If you want results, the state needs to work. This means using AI to modernize public services, digitalizing the government, cut off unnecessary administration layers and increase productivity. It means keeping ministers responsible not only for announcements, but also for the results.
It also means investing in our safety again – military and economic. In a more variable world, defense expenditures should increase. Supply chains should be rebuilt. And strategic industries should be protected. This does not mean nationalism. Realism.
Internationally, we need to reshape the institutions we help to build. Where they work, we have to lead. Where they do not do, we have to leave with our terms. We don’t need addiction. We need partnerships – not the old arrangements that connect our hands, but alliances that reflect our values and interests. This is the real conservative agenda for the next decade: the recovery of sovereignty through competence. To build a modern, talented, dominant Britain that can act in his own interest and inspire others with his example. It doesn’t require demolishing everything. However, it requires serious reform. And requires people ready to manage.
Pitt’s success was not due to nostalgia or populism. It came seriously. Reform. Believing what the state was equipped to surrender. He realized that Britain could only lead abroad if it were strong at home.
We find ourselves again at the time of industrial and political change. The world is sorting again. The difficulties are great – but the opportunities are. With the right leadership, the right reforms and the right approach, England can shape the world around again – not through slogans, for example.
This is the conservative future we need. And it starts with being serious.
