The former leader of the Conservative Party in Wales, Andrew RT Davies, has said the party must “evolve or die” and has warned against the Tories becoming a “lighter” version of Reform UK, the party led by Nigel Farage but be the “real deal”.
In an article online, he has said the party may not get a second chance “if they do not get it right” and that Mr Farage’s party was ready to take their voters, and position in Wales as the opposition group “if we do not make ourselves relevant again”.
Andrew RT Davies served as leader of the Welsh Conservatives between 2021 and 2024, having led the party over two different spells. He stood down on December 5 after surviving a vote of no confidence, and was succeeded by Darren Millar. He continues to serve as MS for South Wales Central. In his resignation letter, Mr Davies criticised those who voted against him and questioning the future position the party will take. You can read that here.
Writing on website Conservative Home on New Year’s Eve, Mr Davies said the Conservative Party must “evolve or die” due to the rise of Reform UK which he believes could usurp the Tories if the party fails to become relevant. Polls suggest Reform is on course for seats in the Senedd after the election in May 2026. You can see some of that polling here.
He wrote: “Evolve or die. That’s politics. That’s the story of the Conservative Party. The reason we are the most successful and oldest party in the Western world is that we choose to evolve rather than die. It was thought our party would not survive in the age of universal suffrage. But to the contrary, we were by far Britain’s most successful political force throughout the 20th century.
“In the 1970s, we accepted our economy was in decline, and we changed our party to respond to the challenges of that time. After the general election in July, we are at that fork in the road yet again.”
Mr Davies questioned whether his party would “recognised the realignment of polities” and “ride the wave” or continue to “play the game by the old roles”. He said the Conservatives would not be saved by the “two party political system”, and the party may not get a second chance if they do not get it right.
He continued: “There is another party of the right that will replace our party if we do not make ourselves relevant again…. So we have to confront the new realities of politics. We do not live in 2010. Brexit. President Trump. The rise of the RN in France. Meloni. The AFD in Germany. The list goes on. Incumbent politicians and parties are being replaced. The old parties of the left have climbed out of the mines and into the diversity and inclusion workshops. In the post-industrial West, it’s time to forget everything you think you know about politics.
(Image: Matthew Horwood)
“People don’t want dogmatic free market liberalism. They want to make sure they have safe and secure communities, and they want to make sure there are good jobs in those communities. So we have to protect our communities by putting an end to the outsourcing of work and the importing of low skilled workers.
“I am a true blue business owner. I have not lost faith in the power of capitalism to transform lives and lift people out of politics. But in a globalised world, predatory capitalism, if unchecked, will rip the heart out of our communities and our nations. Traditional political parties, which are about as nimble as cruise ships sometimes, are sitting ducks if they do not realise that.”
Mr Davies said he did not believe the Conservative Party should become “Reform-lite” and should strive to be the “real deal”. He said the party in Wales could not rely on telling people that a vote for other parties is a vote for Labour, because of the proportional electoral system used in Senedd election.
He said: “So, we need to speak frankly. We need to give a voice to the voiceless. We need to tackle tough issues that are relevant to people. People care about their health service, the economy, their children’s education. But they also care about their communities. They care when they are told by the media establishment that they should be ashamed of their history and their heritage.
“A Conservative Party ready to win must earn people’s confidence again, and fight for our communities, our traditions, our values, our history and our future, and not be afraid to ruffle the feathers of the political and media class while doing it. For my part, I tried to position the Welsh Conservatives in this space. Some of my colleagues made it impossible to do this, and it made my position as leader untenable.”