Members and supporters newsletter October 2025
At the outset of this Newsletter can I say that the reports in the press of the terminal decline and death of the Conservative party were always wrong – not premature but totally wrong.
I know that many of our members and those who have voted for us in the past were concerned that they no longer knew what we stood for and what our principles were. They were concerned that we were not articulating clear policies and found it difficult to understand Kemi’s position that before announcing policies detailed research had to be carried out to ensure that the policies were not just right but were deliverable. Despite our impatience and some defections to Reform she was absolutely right on that.
CPC Manchester 2025
I was at Conference with a considerable number of other Sussex Members. Please ignore the negativity of the Press and Broadcast media. The mood was very positive, the speeches from Shadow Cabinet members were articulate, well thought through and compelling and, although I could be said to be biased, streets ahead in content and delivery than those we heard from the other parties. Yes, there were fewer members there than in the old glory days of Brighton and Blackpool but the fact that the hall was not full did not mean that there were few people there. There were literally hundreds of fringe events, as well as events on Parliamentary candidate Selection, the Party Constitution etc. which were well attended held at the same time as speeches in the main hall. Yesterday for Kemi’s keynote speech it was standing room only!
We heard details policies on strengthening our borders so that no-one who enters this country illegally will ever be able to acquire citizenship, that by leaving the ECHR we will be able to deport illegal immigrants and failed asylum seekers back to their countries or origin or to a third-party country. That illegal immigrants will not be entitled to welfare benefits. We also heard policies on the economy which will cut the ever expanding benefits bill so that welfare in the future returns to being a safety net for those who truly cannot work rather than a lifestyle choice, to ensure that we live within our means by cutting the size of the civil service to what it was in 2016 and reducing the size of the state so that it does what it needs to do rather than encouraging the culture of dependency which has grown since the COVID pandemic. Savings would be used to pay down the deficit, to reduce taxes and promote growth. The public sector cannot create growth, only our hard-hit private businesses can do that.
We heard that the Farms Tax, the Business Tax and the Schools Tax would be repealed and “Alleluia” Stamp Duty would be abolished. Stamp duty stifles the housing market. It cannot be borrowed as part of a mortgage and so stops young people who have saved a deposit and who could pay the monthly instalments getting on the ladder, it also discourages mobility at all levels from young families seeking a larger home to older people seeking to downsize.
For those who were concerned that we had lost our way I can do no better than quote the final parts of Kemi’s speech;
“We are going to follow the same timeless, Conservative Principles which have led us to success in the Past.
Personal responsibility,
Free Enterprise.
Family,
Freedom of speech
People want to know what I stand for; I stand for a government that takes less of your money and doesn’t interfere in your life.
Where the state does less but does it better.
Where those who create wealth are welcomed with open arms and not driven from our shores.
Where reward matches effort,
Where Britain stands tall in the world.
I stand for an economy where profit is not a dirty word.
Where enterprise is not crushed.
I stand for a country where what you put in determines what you get out.
Where excellence is celebrated.
I stand for a country where actions have consequences.
Where we talk about responsibilities as well as rights.
Where crime is punished and justice is served.
Where the welfare of victims outweighs the welfare of criminals.
I stand for a society where free speech trumps hurt feelings.
Where everyone knows what a woman is.
Where people are judged by the content of their character and not the colour of their skin.
Where the vulnerable are supported.
But where freeloaders are told where to get off.
Conference I stand for stronger borders and a stronger economy.
So that the young can fulfil their potential, the old can live out their years in dignity and everyone can achieve their dreams – to own a home, run a business, raise a family. This is the Britain I stand for. If it is the Britain you stand for then stand with me.
And let’s build it together.
For those who have kept the faith then thank you. To those who were thinking of moving elsewhere stick with us and help us fight and to those who are not members please join us. Speak to your friends and neighbours and encourage them to join. Reform will go the same way the SDP did in the 1980 (for those old enough to remember). We do not need to descend to insults and name calling – as Kemi quoted from George Bernard Shaw – never wrestle with a pig. You both get dirty and the pig likes it. The Conservative Party under Kemi will go from strength to strength.
Helen Galley
EGUCA Chairman and Sussex Area Chairman
Photos by Edward Massey / CCHQ
