Senior Conservative figures are preparing to unveil a significant new political initiative designed to guide their party back towards the centre ground of British politics. The movement, expected to be named 'Prosper', will be launched on Monday by former West Midlands mayor Sir Andy Street and former Scottish Tory leader Baroness Ruth Davidson.
A Bid to Reclaim the Centre
The launch comes at a critical juncture for the Conservative Party, following its worst ever general election defeat and amid an existential crisis prompted by the rise of Reform UK. While some voices within the party advocate for a rightward shift to counter Reform, the founders of Prosper argue this strategy has failed, alienating moderate voters while failing to stem the flow of support to Nigel Farage's party.
Sir Andy Street, a former managing director of John Lewis who twice won mayoral elections in the Labour heartlands of the West Midlands, issued a stark warning about the current political landscape. He stated that politics is being dangerously squeezed between 'populists of the left and populists of the right', leaving the vital centre ground neglected.
'The centre ground is being pushed out - and that is completely wrong,' Sir Andy declared. 'In Britain, there is still a huge majority of people with centrist views.'
Targeting the 'Politically Homeless'
The core mission of the Prosper movement is to reconnect with an estimated seven million voters who describe themselves as 'politically homeless'. Recent polling from More in Common underscores this challenge, revealing that 34 per cent of centrist and centre-right voters feel no party currently represents them, with almost one in three voters overall sharing this sentiment of abandonment.
Baroness Davidson, a highly popular figure during her tenure leading the Scottish Conservatives, emphasised that this initiative is not about reigniting internal 'Tory wars'. Instead, she framed it as an essential project to rebuild bridges with disillusioned supporters.
'We've identified seven million people who see themselves as centre or centre-right and feel abandoned,' Baroness Davidson explained. 'Over time, we want them to see that the Conservative Party can be their home again. This is about having honest conversations with voters who no longer recognise the party they once supported.'
Support for Badenoch with a Policy Focus
The founders have been clear that Prosper is not a new political party and will not field candidates at the next election. Its stated purpose is to support current Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch while actively working to shape party policy and strategic direction from a centrist perspective.
This supportive stance comes after Ms Badenoch suffered a notable setback with the high-profile defection of Robert Jenrick to a rival faction. Sir Andy Street argued that the next election must not be reduced to a binary choice between Sir Keir Starmer and Nigel Farage.
'There has to be a different alternative - and, as proud Conservatives, we believe that alternative has to be Kemi Badenoch,' Sir Andy stated.
Warning Against Mimicking Reform
A central tenet of the Prosper argument is a rejection of the idea that the Conservatives should try to outflank Reform UK on the right. Baroness Davidson delivered a colourful critique of this strategy, warning against the party becoming a 'pale imitation' of Nigel Farage's movement.
'When political parties start borrowing each other's clothes, they just look inauthentic,' she cautioned. 'Why choose 'I can't believe it's not butter' when butter is sitting right there?'
The pair contend that the party's recent rightward drift has been a strategic failure, simultaneously failing to halt the bleed of voters to Reform while pushing away the moderate, centrist voters who once viewed the Conservatives as a broad church capable of representing a wide spectrum of opinion. The Prosper movement aims to correct this course and reclaim that vital political territory.
