Six - ‘Good solid Conservatism’: Theresa May’s ‘doctrine’ and her approach to the welfare state

Summary

Theresa May has endured an eventful 18 months (June 2017–December 2018) since unexpectedly becoming both leader of the Conservative Party and Prime Minister following David Cameron's sudden departure in the wake of the referendum vote to leave the EU in June 2016. In the initial phase of her premiership, May appeared to exude the ‘decisive’ form of leadership previously associated with Margaret Thatcher by declaring her intention to pursue an effective Brexit policy and to create a ‘fairer’ society. However, her decision to call a General Election in June 2017 in an effort to secure a larger majority to smooth the path of Brexit backfired, and since then her position as Prime Minister has become precarious.

The focus of this chapter is to explore May's strand of Conservatism and how this influences her approach to the welfare state. In response to a question from BBC Two Newsnight 's political editor Nick Watt, at the launch of the Conservative Party's (2017) General Election manifesto on 18 May 2017, Theresa May declared that there was no such thing as ‘Mayism’. She contended that she was merely pursuing a ‘good solid’ form of Conservatism. Since becoming a senior figure within the party, May has been keen to stress that she is not an ‘ideological’ Conservative in the mould of Margaret Thatcher but rather, a dutiful public servant seeking to serve her country as best she can. May's preference for ‘pragmatism’ was emphasised in the party's manifesto of 2017, which stated that the party must ‘reject the ideological templates provided by the socialist left and the libertarian right’ (Conservative and Unionist Party, 2017, p 7). Under Theresa May, ‘ideological crusades’ were to become a thing of the past (Conservative and Unionist Party, 2017, p 7). As she made clear,

True Conservatism means a commitment to country and community; a belief not just in society but in the good that government can do; a respect for the local and national institutions that bind us together; an insight that change is inevitable and change can be good, but that change should be shaped, through strong leadership and clear principles, for the common good. (Conservative and Unionist Party, 2017, p 9)

Before examining Theresa May's ‘doctrine’ and her approach to the welfare state in more detail, it is useful to provide an overview of her background and political career.