Skip to content

‘A corruption of Conservatism’: how a cartel of Tory MPs broke British politics

In an extract from his book, Peter Geoghegan shows how the European Research Group became a tightly organised ‘party within a party’ that set the UK on course for a no-deal Brexit.

‘A corruption of Conservatism’: how a cartel of Tory MPs broke British politics
'Morphed into a no deal sect' | John Stillwell/PA Archive/PA Images
Published:

This is an extract from 'Democracy for Sale' by Peter Geoghegan, this month's read for our book club. Join us for a live discussion with the author on Wednesday 8th December at 5pm UK time.


On a sweltering summer’s day in late June 2018, John Bolton arrived at a private meeting in London. There were no British officials to greet Donald Trump’s bellicose national security advisor, just a small delegation from what was fast becoming one of the most influential voices in British politics: the European Research Group of Conservative MPs. Leading the delegation was the one-time Tory party leader and former cabinet minister Iain Duncan Smith, who had first met his “good friend” Bolton more than a quarter of a century earlier.

Screenshot 2020-08-06 at 14.25.44.png