Author: Purple Brolly

In 1922, Conservative MPs voted to end the coalition with the Liberals and have a General Election. This they won decisively but there were many new faces now in Conservative ranks, so one of them, Sir Gervais Rentoul (1884-1946), led the formation in 1923 of a club for ‘newbies’, i.e. the 1922 Committee. It is also known informally as ‘the 22′ or formally as the Conservative Private Members’ (1922) Committee.

By 1926 membership had been expanded to include all Conservative MPs except those in office and in 1965 it was officially acknowledged as part of the Conservative Party structure. Its purpose had also developed into a forum to air views and ideas in weekly meetings away from the House of Commons in order to keep Party leadership informed as to the mood of colleagues and supporters. Its five sub-committees interrogate policies for:

• the economy
• environment and local government
• foreign affairs
• home affairs and the Constitution
• public services

The 18-member executive committee has a Chairman who is elected annually. This role includes overseeing the voting process for the appointment and removal of the Party Leader. It is important for the Party leadership to maintain the confidence of ‘the 22’ and to respect their participation in the democracy espoused by Parliament.

(Image: Goumbik at pixabay.com)

Lobby groups, also known as pressure groups, have increased in number, scope and financial resources since the period of Margaret Thatcher‘s government. They aim to bring MPs and/or Lords round to their perspective, resulting in the implementation of new or amended legislation or policy. To the ordinary citizen it often seems that those with the loudest voices do indeed gain the most influence, but the process of lobbying is theoretically open to all.

Any individual can email or write to their constituency MP in order to make a suggestion or state a viewpoint. If several people do the same thing, that MP might take notice. However, lobby groups generally have the most influence, whether they are vociferous activists for a particular issue or a business group concerned with aspects of the economy. Some of the largest lobby groups in the UK are the Confederation of British Industry, Amnesty International, the Electoral Reform Society and UK Youth.

A mass lobby is a pre-arranged gathering of many lobbyists at the Houses of Parliament who meet with MPs. There is a code of conduct that applies to these meetings, which are often followed by a campaign rally or demonstration outside the building.

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