The Case for Conservative Centrism: Davidson and Street's Prosper UK Movement
Tuesday 27 January 2026 marked another chapter in the ongoing evolution of Conservative Party politics, with former Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson and former West Midlands Mayor Andy Street emerging as leading voices for a return to pro-business, centre-right principles through their new movement, Prosper UK.
The 'Wet' Wing's Resurgence
Prosper UK has attracted support from numerous former Tory heavyweights including Amber Rudd, David Gauke, Michael Heseltine, Philip Hammond, Justine Greening and Ken Clarke. While some dismiss this as a roster of political has-beens, the movement represents a significant strand of Conservative thinking that many believe has been marginalised in recent years.
City AM contributor William Atkinson captured the sceptical mood with his social media post listing the group's supporters alongside the caption: "If I should die, think only this of me: There is some corner of the Conservative Party that is forever 2015."
Remembering 2015's Optimism
For those who worked in Parliament during David Cameron's government, 2015 represented a period of genuine optimism about Conservative governance. The administration was committed to reducing the Budget deficit, controlling welfare spending, lowering taxes while simultaneously spreading opportunity and social justice. Michael Gove's education reforms, now being systematically unwound by Labour, stood as proud achievements of that era.
As one observer noted: "Well, to quote another war poem: 'never such innocence again'." The subsequent purge of so-called 'wets' under Boris Johnson's leadership failed to produce better government, instead resulting in a Cabinet of more extreme individuals with fundamentalist views who pursued contradictory policies on immigration.
The Current Political Landscape
While reducing immigration was the primary reason Conservative voters defected to Reform in 2024, this issue is diminishing in salience among the broader population as national defence and economic concerns rise. Net migration is now falling from the peak levels of the 'Boriswave', driven more by departures than arrivals.
The economic situation presents both challenge and opportunity for Conservatives. Wealth and talent continue to flee Britain, with vindictive Labour policies on inheritance tax, property and private schools accelerating this exodus. Chancellor Rachel Reeves has failed to deliver on her central promise of growth, with inflation remaining above target and public spending proving difficult to cut.
Reform's Contradictory Position
Meanwhile, Reform UK presents a confused economic agenda, offering bizarrely low flat taxes for non-doms while simultaneously pledging to renationalise industries. This creates a yawning gap in the centre of British politics for a pro-business party that understands economic growth and recognises that voters increasingly prioritise defence spending over welfare.
The Electoral Mathematics
Current polls suggesting Reform could win an overall majority at the next election appear daunting, but actual election results tell a different story. Research from the think tank Onward has identified perceived incompetence, division and broken promises from 2019 as major reasons voters abandoned the Conservatives in 2024.
Significantly, even adding every Reform vote to every Conservative vote from 2024 would not deliver an overall majority. The right must also woo back the seven per cent of Conservatives who defected to the Liberal Democrats at the last election. Recent defections to Reform have arguably made this task easier for current Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch.
The Path Forward
While Davidson and Street's Prosper UK movement may be dismissed by some as wet and wistful for a bygone age, its proponents at least remember what winning Conservative politics looked like. Their vision of pro-business, centre-right governance represents not just nostalgia but a potential pathway back to electoral success for a party struggling to define its post-Brexit, post-Johnson identity.
The Conservative Party faces a fundamental choice between pursuing Reform's protest politics or reclaiming the centre ground where general elections are traditionally won. Davidson and Street's initiative suggests that at least some within the party understand which path offers the greater chance of long-term success.
