TRG

28th May 2018

Largest membership group within the Conservatives announces fourteen new Parliamentary patrons.

The Tory Reform Group (TRG), the largest membership group within the Conservative party and the champions of liberal conservatism, has today announced the appointment of fourteen new parliamentary Patrons.

The Tory Reform Group has seen a surge in membership over the last two years with a renewed energy and focus on domestic policy, values and talent within the party. The new Patrons bring on board moderate Conservative MPs as well as many of the newer intake of MPs from both 2015 and 2017.

The new TRG Patrons join an esteemed group of parliamentarians championing the One Nation, modernising liberal conservative tradition within the party.

The full list of new Tory Reform Group Patrons appointed today includes:

• Bim Afolami MP for Hitchin and Harpenden
• Stuart Andrew MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Wales Office
• Victoria Atkins MP, Home Office Minister and Minister for Women
• Rt Hon Justine Greening MP, Former Education Secretary
• Nigel Huddleston MP, Parliamentary Private Secretary to Ministers in the Department of Culture, Media and Sport
• Seema Kennedy MP, Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Prime Minister
• John Lamont MP, Scottish Conservative MP for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk
• Jeremy Lefroy MP for Stafford
• Rachel Maclean MP for Redditch
• Johnny Mercer MP for Plymouth Moor View
• Guy Opperman MP, Pensions Minister
• Rt Hon Anna Soubry MP, Former Business and Defence Minister
• Tom Tugendhat MP, Chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee
• Robin Walker MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Department for Exiting the European Union

Commenting on the announcement, Owen Meredith, National Chairman of the Tory Reform Group said: “The Tory Reform Group has been going from strength-to-strength and we are delighted that our new Patrons have agreed to come on board, marking another significant milestone in the history of the Group. The TRG boasts some of the most influential and senior figures within the Conservative party as our new patrons, and many of them are trailblazers in driving modernisation and reform.

“The TRG will continue to be a real force to be reckoned with as a campaigning champion for liberal conservative candidates but also as a progressive wing of the Conservatives. Alongside our Patrons, we will work to continue to support the Conservative party and at the same time ensure fresh thinking anchored in the centre ground of British politics, where we are best placed to deliver the Government our country deserves and to win the support of the British people.”

The Tory Reform Group is the home of liberal minded conservatives, generating ideas for the future of our party and campaigning to ensure Conservatives are elected to implement them. The TRG led the way in the recent local elections in London with hundreds of activists deployed to key battlegrounds across London. Following eight different action days, the Tory Reform Group saw members returned as councillors in Wandsworth, Westminster, Kensington & Chelsea, Greenwich and Barnet.

In March of this year, the Tory Reform Group Student Network was launched by newly appointed Patron, Anna Soubry MP who called for a bolder and more radical approach to housing policy. The TRG Student Network is active across several UK universities and has a dedicated TRG Board representative as well as an annual presence at Freshers Fairs and a discounted membership rate for students.

The Tory Reform Group has been vocal in calling on the Home Office to remove student numbers from the immigration figures and has long championed the contribution international students make to society here in the UK. In addition to this, the TRG has taken a strong stance in supporting the social mobility pledge introduced to British businesses by new Patron, The Rt Hon Justine Greening MP.

The new Patrons have been appointed to support the Tory Reform Group Board as they seek to build support for liberal Conservative candidates both locally and nationally, launch a newly reformed policy group, continue their significant event schedule during party conference season as well as upcoming policy suppers with MPs and ministers.

The new Patrons will sit alongside the current President, Rt Hon Ken Clarke CH QC MP, and long-standing patrons including Rt Hon Sir John Major KG CH, Rt Hon Nicky Morgan MP, Rt Hon Sir Nicholas Soames MP and Nick Boles MP.