One of Theresa May’s first acts as prime minister was to perform a purge of the posh boys. After declaring on the steps of Downing Street that she would “make Britain a country that works not for a privileged few, but for every one of us”, the grammar-school educated Tory took immediate action to apply those words to her cabinet.
With her Old Etonian predecessor David Cameron out of the picture, May ousted a host of his privately educated chums in what was seen as a sign that the sun was finally setting on the once omnipotent Notting Hill set. At the time, it was heralded by May’s allies as a new meritocratic chapter for a Tory party that had too often been associated with a lucky few.
So, perhaps it’s little wonder that when news broke earlier this month that the Oxford University Conservative Association was to ban members of the Bullingdon Club – the university’s infamous all-male dining club of which Cameron was once a member – from holding positions, it was seen as a further sign of a party trying to rebrand itself for the modern day. Not so. That ban has now been overturned after a disciplinary meeting found the passing of the motion to be “unconstitutional”.
While the fact that a select few can – for now – still dine in £1,200 club tailcoats and call themselves Oxford young Tories might appear somewhat small (if unhelpful) fry, the incident casts a light on the difficulties the party faces when it comes to shaking off its image problem. The very fact that the Conservative Association felt the need to distance itself from the organisation in the first place is telling. The Bullingdon Club has long been a source of embarrassment for the Tories. A symbol of privilege and excess, photos of Cameron, George Osborne and Boris Johnson in the white tie and club tailcoats from their Buller days have served as an easy way for critics to depict the Conservatives as a party out of touch with society.
But as a result of all the negative publicity, the society – known for drunken impropriety – is by all accounts rather humdrum these days. Thanks to its bad reputation – and its unflattering depiction in films such as The Riot Club – any savvy would-be politician wouldn’t touch it with a bargepole. In fact, two years ago, there were rumours that the club was about to dissolve on the grounds that they were having such difficulties wooing new members. That the Tory association sought to make a symbolic point suggests they think the image of toffs behaving badly continues to haunt the party today.
So, is the Conservative party still an old boys’ club? Although May used her conference speech to declare that the Tories are the party of opportunity and pointed to her ministers’ personal hardships as proof of that, a class snobbery still exists in parts of it. A number of MPs like to joke about the fact that, although May attended Oxford University, she only studied geography at St Hugh’s College – founded for women who couldn’t afford the fees at other women’s colleges. Meanwhile, defence secretary Gavin Williamson’s nickname is Poker. It’s not particularly affectionate – the purpose is to tease him over his humble beginnings as a fire salesman. Perhaps it’s little wonder then that some find it hard to take the party’s “opportunity for all” slogan entirely seriously.
As for May herself, it’s not clear that she is now seen as all that different from what came before her. At the beginning of the snap election campaign, pollsters found May, generally regarded as more relatable, had better cut-through with traditional Labour voters than Cameron. However, as the campaign wore on, that changed – with her personal endorsement of fox hunting particularly damaging to her personal brand. “People began to think, ‘Oh, she is like the rest of them after all,’” remarked one insider involved in running the focus groups.
But rather than worry about which public schoolboys are in the cabinet, or whether the Bullers are in control, the Tories would be better advised to delve a bit deeper and focus on the policies they are putting forward. Two years ago, back in May’s honeymoon period, the prime minister was enjoying double-figure leads in the polls with her promise to help the just-about-managing and tackle the burning injustices in society.
Since then, that agenda has fallen off the radar – with reports that the rhetoric has been dropped over concerns it risked boosting support for Labour. Meanwhile, the troubled universal credit rollout is expected to make many of the most vulnerable in society worse off unless serious reforms are put in place. Rather than a class war, the best way to convince voters that the party isn’t out of touch with the needs of ordinary people is to make sure the policies actually help them.
• Katy Balls is the Spectator’s political correspondent
