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{{Short description|Political pressure group in the UK}}
{{Infobox organization
| name                = Conservative Monday Club
| image               = MondayClub_logo.jpg
| caption             = Header of the Monday Club from the 1970s
| formation           = {{start date and age|1961|01|01|df=y}}
| dissolved           = {{start date and age|2024|07|01|df=y}}
| founders            = Paul Bristol <br /> Ian Grieg <br /> Cedric Gunnery <br /> Anthony Maclaren
| purpose             = [[Conservatism in the United Kingdom|British conservatism]]<br />[[High Tory]]ism<br />[[Anti-communism]]<br />[[Anti-immigration]]
| headquarters = Southmill Trading Centre <br /> [[Bishop's Stortford]] <br /> CM23 3DY
| location_country    = [[United Kingdom of Great Britain & Northern Ireland|United Kingdom]]
}}{{Conservatism UK|Organisations}}
The '''Conservative Monday Club''' (usually known as the '''Monday Club''') was a British political pressure group, aligned with the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]], though not endorsed by it after 2001. It also had links to the [[Democratic Unionist Party]] (DUP) and [[Ulster Unionist Party]] (UUP) in [[Northern Ireland]].

Founded in 1961, in reaction to [[Harold Macmillan|Prime Minister Harold Macmillan]]'s opposition to [[White Zimbabweans|white minority rule]] in [[Southern Rhodesia]], the club became embroiled in the [[Decolonization|decolonisation]] and [[Modern immigration to the United Kingdom|immigration]] debate, inevitably highlighting the controversial issue of [[Racism in the United Kingdom|race]], which has dominated its image ever since. The club was known for its fierce opposition to non-white immigration to Britain and its support for [[apartheid]]-era [[South Africa]] and [[Southern Rhodesia]]. By 1971, the club had 35 MPs, six of them ministers, and 35 [[House of Lords|peer]]s, with membership (including branches) totaling about 10,000.

In 1982, the constitution was re-written, with more emphasis on support for the Conservative Party, but it remained autonomous from the party. In-fighting over the club's traditional Tory agenda led to many resignations in 1991. In 2001, the Conservative Party formally severed relations with the club, which had ceased to exercise significant influence, with full membership below 600.

Following a vote of the Executive Council, the organisation was formally disbanded in July 2024.

==History==

===Foundation and early years===
The club was founded on 1 January 1961, by four young Conservative Party members, Paul Bristol (a 24-year-old [[Shipbroking|shipbroker]] and the club's first chairman,<ref>Seyd, Patrick, ''Factionalism within the Conservative Party: The Monday Club'' in ''Government and Opposition'', volume 7, no. 4., 1972.</ref> who left the club in 1968), Ian Greig (Membership Secretary until 1969), Cedric Gunnery (Treasurer until 1992; died 16 Mar 2023<ref>{{cite web | url=https://announcements.telegraph.co.uk/deaths/263304/gunnery | title=GUNNERY - Deaths Announcements - Telegraph Announcements }}</ref>), and Anthony Maclaren. The club was formed "to force local party associations to discuss and debate party policy". Its first general policy statement deplored the tendency of recent Conservative governments to adopt policies based upon expediency and demanded that instead Tory principles should be the guiding influence. It believed that the principles needing to be reasserted included the preservation of the constitution and existing institutions, the freedom of the individual, the private ownership of property, and the need for Britain to play a leading part in world affairs.<ref>''Policy and Aims''. The Monday Club, December 1961.</ref>

The club disliked what it regarded as the expediency, cynicism and materialism which motivated [[Harold Macmillan]]'s government. In addition it was concerned that during this period "the left wing of the Party (had) gained a predominant influence over policy" and that as a result the Conservative Party had shifted to the left, so that "the floating voter could not detect, as he should, major differences between it and the Socialists" and, furthermore, "loyal Conservatives had become disillusioned and dispirited".<ref>''The Aims of the Monday Club'', Executive Council publication, Monday Club, 1970, p. 1.</ref> The club's published aims stated that it "seeks to evolve a dynamic application of traditional Tory principles".<ref>''The Monday Club - Organization & Membership'' published on the back cover of the Club's 1968 booklet ''Student Power'' by [[Patrick Wall]] MC MP.</ref>

The group brought together supporters of [[Rhodesia]] and [[Union of South Africa|South Africa]]; the main impetus for the group's formation was the Conservatives' new [[decolonisation]] policies, in particular as a general reaction to Macmillan's '[[Wind of Change (speech)|Wind of Change]]' speech made in South Africa. The club stated that Macmillan had "turned the Party Left", and its first pamphlet opposed these policies as indicative of the Conservative Party's move towards liberalism.<ref>Copping, Robert, ''The Story of The Monday Club - The First Decade'', Current Affairs Information Unit, London, April 1972: 5.</ref> The club is notable for having promoted a policy of voluntary, or assisted, repatriation for Commonwealth immigrants, a policy subsequently adopted in the 1970 Conservative Party manifesto.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2001/oct/19/uk.race|title=Tories cut Monday Club link over race policies|last=Watt|first=Nicholas|work=[[The Guardian]]|date=19 October 2001}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/five-more-names-go-in-purge-of-tory-right-9140344.html|title=Five more names go in purge of Tory right|last=Woolf|first=Marie|date=29 August 2001|work=[[The Independent]]|access-date=9 September 2019}}</ref>

[[Robert Arthur James Gascoyne-Cecil, 5th Marquess of Salisbury|The 5th Marquess of Salisbury]] (1893–1972), who had resigned from Macmillan's Cabinet over the Prime Minister's liberal direction, became its first president in January 1962, when he stated "there was never a greater need for true conservatism than there is today".<ref>Copping, 1972, p. 5.</ref> By the end of 1963 there were eleven Members of Parliament in the Club, which then had an overall membership of about 300.<ref>Copping, 1972, p. 7.</ref><ref>Thurlow, Richard, ''Fascism in Britain'', London, 1st edition 1987, revised reprint 2006, p.246, {{ISBN|1-86064-337-X}} where the author also refers to "traditional party supporters feeling intensely alienated by the Heath administration and made their opposition felt through their support of [[Enoch Powell]]".</ref> The club was courted by many Conservative politicians, including the Conservative Party leader [[Alec Douglas-Home]] who was guest-of-honour at the club's annual dinners of 1964 and 1969, and [[Enoch Powell]], who, in a speech in 1968, said that "it was due to the Monday Club that many are brought within the Conservative Party who might otherwise be estranged from it".<ref name="Copping, 1972 p.26">Copping, 1972, p. 26.</ref>

That year [[Alan Clark]] joined the club and was soon chairman of its Wiltshire branch.<ref name="Trewin, Ion 2009">[[Trewin, Ion]], ''Alan Clark – The Biography'', London, 2009, {{ISBN|978-0-297-85073-1}}, pps: 230 & 246-7.</ref> Under its chairman from 1964 to 1969, [[Paul Williams (Conservative politician)|Paul Williams]], who until 1964 had been MP for Sunderland South, the club enjoyed significant growth and influence. Some argued that the club had a disproportionate influence within Conservative circles, especially after six of its members who were MPs joined the Cabinet in 1970.<ref name = "Messina 1989">Messina, Anthony M., ''Race and Party Competition in Britain'', Clarendon Press, 1989, {{ISBN|0-19-827534-X}}</ref>{{rp|138}}

[[Harold Wilson]], twice [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister]], described the club as "the guardian of the Tory conscience".<ref name="Copping, 1972 p.26"/> Oxford political scholar [[Roger Griffin]] referred to the club as practicing an anti-[[Socialism|socialist]] and elitist form of conservatism.<ref>[[Roger Griffin|Griffin, Roger]], ''The Nature of Fascism'', London, 1991, p. 161, {{ISBN|0-86187-112-X}}</ref>

===Membership===
By 1970, eighteen Members of Parliament were club members:<ref name="Copping, 1972 p.21">Copping, 1972, p. 21.</ref>
* [[Geoffrey Rippon]] ([[Hexham (UK Parliament constituency)|Hexham]])
* [[Julian Amery]] ([[Brighton Pavilion (UK Parliament constituency)|Brighton Pavilion]])
* [[Ronald Bell (UK politician)|Ronald Bell]] [[Queen's Counsel|QC]] ([[South Buckinghamshire (UK Parliament constituency)|South Buckinghamshire]])
* [[Harold Gurden]] ([[Birmingham Selly Oak (UK Parliament constituency)|Selly Oak]])
* [[Teddy Taylor]] ([[Glasgow Cathcart (UK Parliament constituency)|Glasgow Cathcart]])
* [[John Peyton, Baron Peyton of Yeovil|John Peyton]] ([[Yeovil (UK Parliament constituency)|Yeovil]])
* [[Paul Williams (Conservative politician)|Paul Williams]] ([[Sunderland South (UK Parliament constituency)|Sunderland South]])<ref name="ReferenceA">Copping, Robert, ''The Story of the Monday Club - The First Decade'', London: Current Affairs Information Service, April 1972</ref>
* [[Duncan Sandys]] ([[Streatham (UK Parliament constituency)|Streatham]])<ref name="ReferenceA"/>
* [[Joseph Hiley]] ([[Pudsey (UK Parliament constituency)|Pudsey]])
* [[John Biggs-Davison]] ([[Chigwell (UK Parliament constituency)|Chigwell]])
* [[Stephen Hastings]] ([[Mid Bedfordshire (UK Parliament constituency)|Mid Bedfordshire]])
* [[Victor Goodhew]] ([[St Albans (UK Parliament constituency)|St Albans]])
* [[Wilfred Baker (politician)|Wilfred Baker]] ([[Banffshire (UK Parliament constituency)|Banffshire]])
* [[Jasper More]] ([[Ludlow (UK Parliament constituency)|Ludlow]])
* [[Jill Knight, Baroness Knight of Collingtree|Jill Knight]] ([[Birmingham Edgbaston (UK Parliament constituency)|Edgbaston]])
* [[Patrick Wall]] ([[Haltemprice (UK Parliament constituency)|Haltemprice]])
* [[Mark Woodnutt]] ([[Isle of Wight (UK Parliament constituency)|Isle of Wight]])
* [[Jerry Wiggin|Sir Jerry Wiggin]] ([[Weston-super-Mare (UK Parliament constituency)|Weston-super-Mare]])

In the [[1970 United Kingdom general election|1970 Conservative Party election victory]], six MPs who were club members were given Cabinet positions.<ref name = "Messina 1989"/>{{rp|138)}} In addition, the following club members were elected that year:<ref name="Copping, 1972 p.21"/>
* [[Geoffrey Stewart-Smith]] ([[Belper (UK Parliament constituency)|Belper]])
* [[Patrick Cormack]] ([[Cannock (UK Parliament constituency)|Cannock]])
* [[Anthony Fell (politician)|Anthony Fell]] ([[Great Yarmouth (UK Parliament constituency)|Great Yarmouth]])
* [[Robert Boscawen]] ([[Wells (UK Parliament constituency)|Wells]])
* [[Harold Soref]] ([[Ormskirk (UK Parliament constituency)|Ormskirk]])
* [[Bill Benyon|William Benyon]] ([[Buckingham (UK Parliament constituency)|Buckingham]])
* [[Roger White (politician)|Roger White]] ([[Gravesend (UK Parliament constituency)|Gravesend]])
* [[Peter Rost (UK politician)|Peter Rost]] ([[South East Derbyshire (UK Parliament constituency)|South East Derbyshire]])
* [[Norman Tebbit]] ([[Epping (UK Parliament constituency)|Epping]])
* [[Piers Dixon]] ([[Truro (UK Parliament constituency)|Truro]])
* [[David James (politician, born 1919)|David James]] ([[North Dorset (UK Parliament constituency)|North Dorset]])
* [[John Heydon Stokes]] ([[Oldbury and Halesowen (UK Parliament constituency)|Oldbury and Halesowen]])

Among sitting MPs who joined the club after that and other elections, along with those who became MPs were:
* [[Alan Clark]] ([[Plymouth Sutton (UK Parliament constituency)|Plymouth Sutton]] and [[Kensington & Chelsea]])<ref name="Trewin, Ion 2009"/> 
* [[Harvey Proctor]] ([[Basildon]])
* [[Stephen McAdden|Sir Stephen McAdden]] ([[Southend East (UK Parliament constituency)|Southend East]])<ref name="ReferenceA"/>
* [[Richard Body]] ([[Holland with Boston (UK Parliament constituency)|Holland with Boston]])
* [[Ronald Russell (British politician)|Sir Ronald Russell]] ([[Wembley South (UK Parliament constituency)|Wembley South]])
* [[George Gardiner (politician)|George Gardiner]] ([[Reigate (UK Parliament constituency)|Reigate]])<ref name="ReferenceA"/>
* [[William Craig (Northern Ireland politician)|William Craig]] ([[Belfast East (UK Parliament constituency)|Belfast East]])<ref name="ReferenceA"/>
* [[Gerald Howarth]] ([[Aldershot (UK Parliament constituency)|Aldershot]])<ref name="ReferenceA"/>
* [[Evelyn King (politician)|Evelyn King]] ([[South Dorset (UK Parliament constituency)|South Dorset]])<ref name="ReferenceA"/>
* [[John Carlisle (British politician)|John Carlisle]] ([[Luton North (UK Parliament constituency)|Luton North]])
* [[Rhodes Boyson]] ([[Brent North (UK Parliament constituency)|Brent North]])
* [[Archibald Hamilton, Baron Hamilton of Epsom|The Hon. Archibald Hamilton]] ([[Epsom and Ewell (UK Parliament constituency)|Epsom and Ewell]])
* [[Tim Janman]] ([[Thurrock (UK Parliament constituency)|Thurrock]])
* [[Peter Bottomley]] ([[Worthing West (UK Parliament constituency)|Worthing West]])
* [[Colin Campbell Mitchell]] ([[West Aberdeenshire]])
* [[Bernard Braine]] ([[Castle Point (UK Parliament constituency)|Castle Point]])
* [[James Molyneaux, Baron Molyneaux of Killead|James Molyneaux]] ([[Lagan Valley (UK Parliament constituency)|Lagan Valley]])<ref name="Copping, Robert 1975, page 34">Copping, Robert, ''The Monday Club—Crisis and After'' May 1975, page 34, published by the Current Affairs Information Service, Ilford, Essex, (P/B).</ref>
* [[John Taylor, Baron Kilclooney|John Taylor]] ([[Strangford (UK Parliament constituency)|Strangford]])<ref name="Copping, Robert 1975, page 34"/>
* [[Neil Hamilton (politician)|Neil Hamilton]] ([[Tatton (UK Parliament constituency)|Tatton]])<ref>Copping, Robert, ''The Monday Club—Crisis and After'' May 1975, page 43, published by the Current Affairs Information Service, Ilford, Essex, (P/B).
</ref>
* [[Robert Taylor (UK politician)|Robert Taylor]] ([[Croydon North West (UK Parliament constituency)|Croydon North West]])
*[[Nicholas Winterton]] ([[Macclesfield (UK Parliament constituency)|Macclesfield]])
*[[Ann Winterton]] ([[Congleton (UK Parliament constituency)|Congleton]])

Peers of the [[House of Lords]] who were Monday Club members:
*[[Iain Murray, 10th Duke of Atholl]]<ref>Copping, Robert, ''The Monday Club—Crisis and After'' May 1975, page 25, published by the Current Affairs Information Service, Ilford, Essex, (P/B).
</ref>
*[[Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 5th Marquess of Salisbury]]<ref name="Copping, Robert 1975, page 28">Copping, Robert, ''The Monday Club—Crisis and After'' May 1975, page 28, published by the Current Affairs Information Service, Ilford, Essex, (P/B).</ref>
*[[Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 6th Marquess of Salisbury]]<ref name="Copping, Robert 1975, page 28"/>
*[[Dermot Chichester, 7th Marquess of Donegall]]<ref name="Copping, Robert 1975, page 46">Copping, Robert, ''The Monday Club—Crisis and After'' May 1975, page 46, published by the Current Affairs Information Service, Ilford, Essex, (P/B).</ref>
*[[Patrick Maitland, 17th Earl of Lauderdale]]<ref name="Copping, Robert 1975, page 46"/>
*[[Victor Montagu|Victor Montagu, 10th Earl of Sandwich]]<ref name="Copping, Robert 1972">Copping, Robert, ''The Story of The Monday Club - The First Decade'', Current Affairs Information Service, London, April 1972, (P/B)</ref>
*[[Charles Carnegie, 11th Earl of Southesk]]<ref name="Copping, Robert 1972"/>
*[[John Wodehouse, 4th Earl of Kimberley]]<ref name="Copping, Robert 1972"/><ref name="Dod p.172">''Dod's Parliamentary Companion 1991'', 172nd edition, Hurst Green, Sussex, p.172.</ref>
*[[George Jellicoe, 2nd Earl Jellicoe]]<ref>Copping, Robert, ''The Monday Club—Crisis and After'' May 1975, page 50, published by the Current Affairs Information Service, Ilford, Essex, (P/B).
</ref>
*[[John Whyte-Melville-Skeffington, 13th Viscount Massereene]]<ref name="ReferenceB">Amery, Julian, et al., Rhodesia and the Threat to the West, Monday Club, London, 1976 (P/B)</ref>
*[[John Skeffington, 14th Viscount Massereene]]<ref name="ReferenceB"/>
*[[Alan Lennox-Boyd, 1st Viscount Boyd of Merton]]<ref name="ReferenceB"/>
*[[Merlin Hanbury-Tracy, 7th Baron Sudeley]]<ref name="Copping 1975 25">{{cite book|last=Copping|first=Robert|title=The Monday Club - Crisis and After|year=1975|page=25|publisher=Current Affairs Information Service|location=Ilford}}</ref>
*[[Jonathan Guinness, 3rd Baron Moyne]]<ref name="Copping 1975 25"/>
*[[Vernon Willey, 2nd Baron Barnby]]<ref>''Monday Club Newsletter'', July/August 1970, p.7.</ref>
*[[Wavell Wakefield, 1st Baron Wakefield of Kendal]]<ref name="Copping 1975 25"/>

Other notable members:
*[[General (United Kingdom)|General]] [[Walter Walker (British Army officer)|Sir Walter Walker]]<ref name="ReferenceC">Amery, Julian, "Facing up to Soviet Imperialism", in the Monday Club's October 1985 Conservative Party Conference issue of its newspaper, ''Right Ahead''</ref>
*[[Adrian FitzGerald|Sir Adrian FitzGerald, 24th Knight of Kerry]]<ref>Copping, Robert, ''The Story of The Monday Club - The First Decade'', London,  April 1972, p.6, and 14,</ref>
*[[Horace Cutler|Sir Horace Cutler]] – Leader of [[Greater London Council]] from 1977 to 1981
*[[James Goldsmith|Sir James Goldsmith]]<ref name="ReferenceC"/>
*[[Victor Raikes|Sir Victor Raikes]], former Conservative MP for [[Liverpool Garston (UK Parliament constituency)|Liverpool Garston]] (1931–1957)<ref name = "Messina 1989"/>{{rp|95}}
*[[Commander]] [[Anthony Courtney]], former Conservative MP for [[Harrow East (UK Parliament constituency)|Harrow East]] (1959–1966)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aim25.ac.uk/cgi-bin/search2?coll_id=388&inst_id=21|title=AIM25 collection description|website=www.aim25.ac.uk}}</ref>

A number of other Monday Club members contested Labour-held seats, some of which had large majorities, and although the challenge was unsuccessful, their majorities were reduced. These included: Tim Keigwin, who almost unseated the Liberal leader [[Jeremy Thorpe]] at [[North Devon (UK Parliament constituency)|North Devon]], Councillor John Pritchard of [[Bromley London Borough Council]], who contested Wrexham and Norwood, and David Clarke, whose personal campaign assistant was the chairman of the club's Young Members' Group, Christopher Horne, and who failed by only 76 votes at [[Watford (UK Parliament constituency)|Watford]].<ref name="Copping, 1972 p.22">Copping, 1972, p. 22.</ref>

By 1971, the club "undoubtedly had the largest membership of any conservative group and included 55 different groups in universities and colleges, 35 Members of Parliament with six in the government, and 35 Peers". At the club's Annual General Meeting on 26 April 1971, in [[Westminster Central Hall]], the chairman, George Pole, announced that "our membership, including national, branches and universities is around 10,000."<ref>Monday Club 'Newsletter'. May/June 1971.</ref>

MP [[John Biggs-Davison]], in his foreword to Robert Copping's second book on the history of the club,<ref>Copping, Robert, ''The Monday Club - Crisis and After'', Current Affairs Information Unit, London, May 1975</ref> stated that "by its principles [the club] has kept alive true Tory beliefs and held within its ranks many who contemplated defecting from the Conservative and Unionist Party".  The club's chairman in June 1981, David Storey, described it as "an anchor to a ship", referring to the Conservative Party.

===The Thatcher years===
[[Image:Young Monday Clubbers.jpg|thumb|250px|Three of the Young Members' Group at a Club Conference at [[Chilham Castle]], 1980: [[John R. Pinniger]] (YMG Chairman), Richard Turnbull and Gregory Lauder-Frost.]]
The club's revised constitution (21 May 1984) stated that "the objects of the Club are to support the Conservative & Unionist Party in those policies designed:
* to maintain loyalty to the Crown and to uphold the sovereignty of Parliament, the security of the realm, and defence of the nation against external aggression and internal subversion;
* to safeguard the liberty of the subject and integrity of the family in accordance with the customs, traditions, and character of the British people;
* to maintain the British constitution in obedience and respect for the laws of the land, freedom of worship and our national heritage;
* to promote an economy consistent with national aspirations and Tory ideals;
* to encourage members of the club to play an active part, at all levels, in the affairs of the Conservative and Unionist Party."

[[Image:MC Party.jpg|thumb|250px|left|Members gather for the club's 20th anniversary riverboat party organised by the Young Members' Group, 15 July 1981.]]
During the period that [[Margaret Thatcher]] led the Conservative Party, the Monday Club were prolific publishers of booklets, pamphlets, policy papers, an occasional newspaper, ''Right Ahead'', and a magazine ''Monday World'' edited for some years by [[Adrian FitzGerald|Sir Adrian FitzGerald, Bart.]], Sam Swerling, and later, Eleanor Dodd. In the October 1982 edition, MP [[Harvey Proctor]] called for the scrapping of the [[Commission for Racial Equality]], Sir [[Patrick Wall]] commented on the [[Falklands War]], [[James Molyneaux]] had an article "What Future for Ulster", and Dr. [[Harvey Ward (director-general)|Harvey Ward]] had an article on "Zimbabwe Today". The September 1984 edition of ''Monday News'' carried the headline "Kinnock Talks to Terrorists", quoting [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]] leader [[Neil Kinnock]]'s declaration to the [[African National Congress]]'s [[Oliver Tambo]] that the [[African National Congress|ANC]] in South Africa could expect financial and material assistance from a future Labour government. Other attacks were made upon then-[[Greater London Council]] leader [[Ken Livingstone]] inviting [[Sinn Féin]] leader [[Gerry Adams]] to visit [[London]] in 1982.
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:MC Flag.jpg|250px|thumb|"Fly the Flag" - a Monday Club campaign]] -->

An early member, in his ''Diaries'', [[Alan Clark]] describes speaking later to a county-branch of the Monday Club in 1982: "I really cannot bear the Monday Club. They are all mad, quite different from its heyday, when it was a right-wing pressure group at the time of Ted Heath's Government. Now they are a prickly residue in the body politic, a nasty sort of gallstone."<ref>[[Alan Clark]], ''Diaries: Into Politics'', Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2000, p. 337, {{ISBN|0-297-64402-5}}</ref>

The playwright [[David Edgar (playwright)|David Edgar]] described the Monday Club, in 1986, as "proselytis[ing] the ancient and venerable conservative traditions of [[paternalism]], [[imperialism]] and [[racism]]."<ref>[[Ruth Levitas|Levitas, Ruth]], (editor), ''The Ideology of the New Right'', Cambridge, 1986, p. 60, {{ISBN|0-7456-0190-1}}</ref>

===Old Guard departs===
[[Image:MC Russia Dinner.jpg|thumb|250px|The Foreign Affairs Committee were responsible for the club's Russia Dinner on 11 January 1990, with [[Vladimir Cyrillovich, Grand Duke of Russia]], pretender to the Imperial throne, being the guest-of-honour.<ref>''''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'''', 12 January 1990, p. 16.</ref><ref>''[[The Independent]]'', 13 January 1990, article: "Tsar's heir plans for day of Restoration".</ref>]]
In 1988–89, a group of longstanding members, led by Gregory Lauder-Frost, the club's Foreign Affairs Committee chairman, succeeded in getting elected to the key posts on the Executive Council, with Dr. Mark Mayall as deputy chairman, and Lauder-Frost as the Political Secretary.

<!-- Commented out because image was deleted: [[Image:Monday01.jpg|thumb|300px|Executive Committee members Gregory Lauder-Frost, Denis Walker, Sam Swerling, Dr.Mark Mayall, April 1991.]] -->
At the beginning of January 1991, the ''Monday Club News'' announced the abolition of the only salaried position, that of Director (then held by the club's Treasurer, Cedric Gunnery, one of the club's founders). Although this was due to the club's precarious financial state,<ref>''Monday Club News'', January 1991 (circular)</ref> some felt more sinister moves afoot. Negative news stories began emerging<ref>''[[The Observer]]'', 24 February 1991, major article by [[David Rose (journalist)|David Rose]].</ref> and resignations followed. An internal investigation followed. The chairman, David Storey, lost an almost unanimous vote of no confidence on 17 January 1991, and his membership was terminated by the club's Executive Council on 11 February on the grounds that "he has engaged in behaviour prejudicial to the best interests, reputation, objects, and other members of the Monday Club; by abusing his position as Chairman in encouraging members to leave the Monday Club and to join a new political group".<ref>Club Minutes</ref> Dr. Mayall became Acting Chairman until the May AGM when he was confirmed in that post by election. By 1992, the new team had the national (as opposed to branches) membership over 1600 again.

Lauder-Frost's resignation on 31 May 1992 saw the club descend into faction fighting and to a period of instability, with more departures and a resulting loss of membership and the club's influence declined. Subsequent failed expulsion attempts resulted in huge legal bills, and when Dr. Mark Mayall's term as chairman expired in April 1993 he left the group. Control passed effectively into the hands of [[Denis Walker]], a former Methodist missionary, and later Minister for Education in the Rhodesian government. He changed the role of the club from a pressure group to a Conservative Party support group, bringing in a rule that all members must firstly be members of the party, something that prior to 1992 had been opposed.

==Organisation==
{{Conservatism UK}}
===Premises===
The national club established its offices at 51–53 Victoria Street, a few minutes' walk from the [[Palace of Westminster]].  The club was, however, always a pressure group, remaining separate from the Conservative Party organisation.  Around 1980, the Victoria Street building was cleared for demolition, and the club moved its offices to 122 Newgate Street, London, EC1, opposite the [[Old Bailey]].  High rents forced another move to 4 Orlando Road, Clapham Common. In 1991 the club's office was moved to an office belonging to W. [[Denis Walker]], opposite [[Highams Park railway station]] in [[Waltham Forest]], east London, with new telephone numbers, and a new Post Office box number in central London. The newsletter stated that "it is our long-term aim to relocate back to the very heart of London".  Subsequently the club office moved to the premises of other companies associated with Walker, at 65 Chapel Hill, [[Bishop's Stortford]],<ref>{{cite web|title=Contact Details|url=https://www.conservativeuk.com/contact/|website=The Conservative Monday Club|access-date=10 January 2023}}</ref> and Southmill Trading Centre, Bishop's Stortford, which according to [[Companies House]]<ref>{{cite web|title= ASPENCHASE ENTERPRISES LIMITED|url=https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/01776882/officers|website=Companies House|access-date=10 January 2023|date=31 December 2021}}</ref> was the current address as of January 2023.

===Branches===
In addition to the national club, which operated through an elected Executive Council and numerous policy groups or committees, there were semi-autonomous county branches, a Young Members Monday Club, and numerous university Monday Clubs, the most prominent and active being at the [[University of Oxford]].

===Policy committees===
The Monday Club had various study groups (later renamed policy committees) including:
* Immigration and Repatriation: notable chairmen being [[George Kennedy Young]] <small>[[Order of the Bath|CB]], [[Order of the British Empire|MBE]]</small>; [[Harvey Proctor]] MP; [[The Honourable]] [[Jonathan Guinness]]; [[John Bercow]], later an MP and former [[Speaker of the House of Commons (United Kingdom)|Speaker of the House of Commons]], was committee secretary 1981–82;
* Africa and Rhodesia: [[Harold Soref]] MP
* Home Affairs;
* Aviation;
* Economics: [[George Kennedy Young]] <small>[[Order of the Bath|CB]], [[Order of the British Empire|MBE]]</small>; Geoffrey Baber, [[Piers Dixon]] MP<ref>Monday Club Newsletter, July 1968, p.6.</ref>
* Taxation: David Rowell, LL.B.
* Universities Group; Graham Webster-Gardiner,<ref>Graham Webster-Gardiner was elected Chairman of the club's Universities Group in 1969; he was later the [[UKIP]] Candidate for Epsom and Ewell in the 2001 General Election.</ref> Richard Turnbull, Michael Clack<ref>Monday Club Newsletters, 1990-91</ref>
* Young Members Group; Christopher Horne, the Conservative Party candidate in both 1974 General Elections in the Manchester Central and Meriden Constituencies, Dr. [[Anna Bramwell]], David Rowell, Eleanor Dodd, [[John R. Pinniger]], AVR Smith, Rod Morris.
* Defence: [[The Honourable]] [[Archie Hamilton, Baron Hamilton of Epsom|Archibald Hamilton]] MP; [[Major (rank)|Major]] [[Patrick Wall|Sir Patrick Wall]] MP <small>[[Order of the British Empire|KBE]], [[Military Cross|MC]], [[Volunteer Reserve Decoration|VRD]]</small>; Commander [[Anthony Courtney]] MP <small>[[Order of the British Empire|OBE]]</small>; [[Rear-Admiral]] Martin Wemyss <small>[[Order of the Bath|CB]]</small>
* Foreign Affairs: [[Geoffrey Stewart-Smith]] MP; [[John Wodehouse, 4th Earl of Kimberley|The Earl of Kimberley]],<ref name="Dod p.172"/> [[John Russell Carlisle|John Carlisle]] MP and Gregory Lauder-Frost.

==Foreign affairs==
===Anti-communism===
[[Image:WGI Dinner.jpg|thumb|250px|left|At the [[Western Goals Institute]]'s El Salvador Dinner, London, 25 September 1989. L to R: [[Denis Walker]], [[Merlin Hanbury-Tracy, 7th Baron Sudeley|Lord Sudeley]], [[El Salvador]]'s Foreign Minister, Andrew Smith (yellow tie), Dr [[Harvey Ward (director-general)|Harvey Ward]]]]
The club was [[anti-communist]] and had an active Defence Committee chaired for over 15 years by Sir [[Patrick Wall]] MP MC and produced much literature on the perceived threat posed by Soviets and communists everywhere.

When it appeared that communism was failing in the [[Eastern Bloc]], the club's Foreign Affairs Committee in 1990 called upon Members of Parliament to be ready and to argue for the German borders to be restored to the position they stood at on 1 January 1938, saying there must be no gains for communism.<ref>''[[The Independent]]'', 4 March 1990.</ref> By challenging the [[Oder-Neisse line]], the club was arguing that Germany should take back all of the parts of Poland and the Soviet Union that been part of Germany in 1938, though what was to happen to the Poles living in such cites as [[Wrocław]] (formerly the German city of Breslau), [[Szczecin]] (formerly the German city of Stettin), and the Russians living in [[Kaliningrad]] (formerly the German city of Königsberg) was left unexplained.

Club officers, including Gregory Lauder-Frost, [[Denis Walker]], and Lord Sudeley, attended a [[Western Goals Institute]] dinner in September 1989 in honour of [[El Salvador|Salvadorian]] president [[Alfredo Cristiani]], whose military was at the time fighting the [[FMLN]].<ref>''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'' and ''[[The Times]]'', Court & Social pages, both on 26 September 1989.</ref>

The club also took a hard line on the return of White Russians by the British Army to Joseph Stalin's Red Army in 1945–46, who executed nearly all of them. In this respect it gave its support to Count [[Nikolai Tolstoy]], historian and author of ''[[Victims of Yalta]]'' and ''[[The Minister and the Massacres]]'', who was then being sued for libel, by holding a dinner for him at London's [[Charing Cross Hotel]] on 26 October 1988.<ref>''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'', Court & Social columns, 27 October 1988.</ref>

===Africa===
[[Image:Smith Dinner.jpg|250px|thumb|right|[[Ian Smith]] makes a point at a dinner organised in his honour by The Hon. [[Denis Walker]] (far left) at [[Lympne Castle]], Kent, 23 July 1990. Smith is flanked by [[Nicholas Winterton|Nicholas]] and [[Ann Winterton]], both MPs, and Rhodesian flags.]]
The club opposed what it described as the "premature" independence of [[Kenya]], and the breakup of the [[Central African Federation]], which was the subject of its first major public meeting in September 1961.<ref>Copping, 1972 p.6</ref> It was fundamentally opposed to decolonisation, and defended [[white minority rule]] in [[South Africa]] and [[Rhodesia]].

During the [[Unilateral Declaration of Independence (Rhodesia)|Unilateral Declaration of Independence]] (UDI) period in [[Rhodesia]], the club strongly backed the White minority government of [[Ian Smith]] and the [[Rhodesian Front]], being seen as its strongest supporters in Britain. In November 1963, the club had hosted a large reception for Smith at the Howard Hotel in London. That was followed the next year by receptions for [[Clifford Dupont]] and [[Moise Tshombe]]. The club continued its support for white minority rule in South Africa, with Lauder-Frost organising a large dinner in central London, on 5 June 1989, for its guest-of-honour Dr [[Andries Treurnicht]], leader of the pro-apartheid [[Conservative Party (South Africa)|Conservative Party of South Africa]], and his delegation. [[Tim Janman]] MP and the Lord Sudeley were amongst those present from Parliament.<ref>''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'' and ''[[The Independent]]'', Court & Social columns, 6 June 1989.</ref>

===Croatia===
[[Image:Delegation 91.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Meet the President: The Monday Club delegation to Croatia, 12 October 1991: L to R: [[Roger Knapman]] MP, [[Andrew Hunter (British politician)|Andrew Hunter]] MP, Count [[Nikolai Tolstoy]], President [[Franjo Tuđman]], Gregory Lauder-Frost, The Hon. [[Denis Walker]], Rod Morris.]]
The government of [[Franjo Tuđman]] in [[Croatia]] invited the Monday Club to send a delegation to observe its conflict with [[Serbia]], in October 1991, when the war for Croatian independence from the tottering [[Yugoslavia]] was at its height, with the armies of both sides engaged in serious fighting. The club delegation arrived just days after the Yugoslav Air Force bombing of the historic upper city in [[Zagreb]].<ref>Almond, Mark, ''Europe's Backyard War - The War in the [[Balkans]]'', Heinemann, London, 1994, pps:223-9.</ref> It was the first British political delegation to go to Croatia during the conflict.<ref>''[[The Times]]'', 5 May 1992, carried a letter from Gregory Lauder-Frost on behalf of the club about this delegation and its findings.</ref>
[[Image:Walker & Hunter 91.jpg|thumb|left|250px|[[Denis Walker]] and [[Andrew Hunter (British politician)|Andrew Hunter]] MP on the Croatia-Serbia front line as part of the Monday Club delegation, 12 October 1991]]
{{Clear}}

===European Union===
Debate within the club was intense on the [[European Union]]. In the early days of the [[European Economic Community]] (EEC) one of the club's MPs, [[Geoffrey Rippon]], was so pro-EEC that he was known as "Mr. Europe". Because of the divisions within the club on this issue the decision was taken not to have a policy on it. However, by 1980 the mood had changed. A club discussion paper in October 1980 was entitled ''Do Tories Really want to Scrap 80% of Britain's Fishing Fleet'', and the club adopted a firm anti-[[European Union]] (EU) position. [[Teddy Taylor]], an anti-EEC MP, became chairman of the club's EEC Affairs Policy Committee and authored a club policy paper in December 1982 entitled ''Proposals to Rescue the British Fishing Industry''. The club's Scottish branch's newspaper, ''The Challenger'', carried a further article against the EEC by Taylor in September 1985 entitled "Swallowing the Nation".

[[Enoch Powell]] also spoke against the EEC at one of the Monday Club's fringe meetings at the Conservative Party Conference at Blackpool on 8 October 1991, with Lauder-Frost presiding, which was filmed and broadcast on [[BBC Television|BBC TV]]'s ''[[Newsnight]]'' that night. In 1992, the chairman, Dr. Mark Mayall, authored another club booklet entitled: ''Maastricht: The High Tide of European Federalism'', a fierce attack on the EEC.

==Immigration==
In September 1972, the club held a "Halt Immigration Now!" public meeting in [[Westminster Central Hall]], opposite Parliament, at which the speakers, MPs [[Ronald Bell (UK politician)|Ronald Bell]], [[John Biggs-Davison]], [[Harold Soref]], and [[John Heydon Stokes]] (all club members) called on the government to halt all immigration, repeal the [[Race Relations Act 1968|Race Relations Act]], (not the separate [[Commonwealth Immigrants Act 1968]]), and start a full repatriation scheme. A resolution was drafted, approved by the meeting, and delivered to the Prime Minister, [[Edward Heath]], who replied that "the government had no intention of repealing the Race Relations Act". When [[Reginald Maudling]] resigned from the Cabinet, the [[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberal]] leader, [[Jeremy Thorpe]], commented that "Mr. Heath has been left to wrestle with the Monday Club single-handed."<ref>Copping, 1975, pp. 6–7.</ref>

In October 1982, the Monday Club published a slightly revised, policy on immigration. It called for:
# Scrapping of the [[Commission for Racial Equality]] and Community Relations Councils.
# Repeal of the race relations laws.
# An end to the use of race or colour as criteria for the distribution of state benefits and loans.
# An end to positive discrimination.
# To bring an end to large-scale permanent immigration from the [[New Commonwealth]].
# An improved repatriation scheme with generous resettlement grants for all those who wish to take advantage of them.

Although more explicit in detail, the general thrust of policy accorded with that found in the Conservative Party manifesto published ahead of the general election [[1983 United Kingdom general election|the following year]].

The club's position on immigration was reiterated in a letter in ''[[The Times]]'' from Lauder-Frost on the club's behalf in October 1991, in which he stated that the annual levels of immigration "were unacceptable".<ref>''[[The Times]]'' (letters), 9 October 1991.</ref>

==Northern Ireland==
Following an [[Official Irish Republican Army]] (IRA) bombing at [[Aldershot]], [[Hampshire]], in February 1972, club member and MP [[Jill Knight]] called for legislation to outlaw the Official IRA and its political wing, [[Sinn Féin (Official)]]. The club was opposed to the dismantling of the [[Parliament of Northern Ireland|Stormont government]] in Northern Ireland and the imposition of direct rule.<ref>Copping, 1975, pp. 5, 6, 9.</ref>

==Controversies and criticism==
{{criticism section|section|date=March 2021}}
''The Guardian''  claimed back in 1968 that the organisation was "probably the nearest British equivalent to the American [[John Birch Society]]".<ref>''Powell and His Allies'', Labour Research Department, (p. 12) 1969.</ref> It was claimed by opponents that the [[National Front (UK)|National Front]] had started an active programme of entryism into the organisation, mainly via the growing number of regional branches. Throughout the early part of the 1970s the leadership stepped up its efforts considerably to try to address this issue. A new standardised set of rules and procedures were instituted which sought to institute a far greater level of centralised control over the growth and activity of the regional branches. There were a number of expulsions, and some branches were forced to disband.

On 24 February 1991, ''[[The Observer]]'' ran a lengthy article entitled "Far Right takes over the Monday Club", stating that a number of senior members had tendered their resignations in protest at the club's "takeover" by "extreme right-wingers." The club's solicitors, Rubenstein, Callingham & Gale, sent a formal letter of protest to the editor of ''The Observer'' about the article, and demanded a right of reply for the club. The editor agreed and Lauder-Frost, writing on behalf of the club, subsequently challenged the article's accusations in a [[Letter to the Editor]], which was published the following Sunday. He denied that a takeover had occurred, said that none of the club's policies had changed and that its direction was consistent with its aims and historical principles. Faction fighting within the club following Lauder-Frost's departure at the end of May 1992 led to a period of instability and a resulting loss of membership. The club's influence declined.

==Suspension of links by the Conservative Party (2001)==
After the defeats in the [[1997 United Kingdom general election|1997 general election]] and [[2001 United Kingdom general election|2001 general election]], the Conservative Party began decisive moves towards becoming more centrist; the 2002–2003 party chairman and future Prime Minister, [[Theresa May]], would later state that it had been perceived by voters as the "Nasty Party". The then party leader, [[Iain Duncan Smith]], suspended the Monday Club's longstanding links with the party in October 2001,<ref>"[https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/1607279.stm Tories suspend link with Monday Club]." ''BBC News''. 18 October 2001.</ref> saying his party would have nothing to do with the organisation unless it stopped making "distasteful" remarks on race and immigration.<ref name="news.bbc.co.uk">[https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/1978846.stm Right-wing club appeals for Tory return]." ''BBC News''. 10 May 2002.</ref> 

Although the Monday Club was a completely autonomous pressure-group and not part of the Conservative Party organisation, Conservative Party chairman [[David Davis (British politician)|David Davis]] then informed the club's National Executive that links between it and the party were being severed until it stopped promoting several of its (long-held and established<ref name = "Messina 1989"/>{{rp|138}}) policies such as the voluntary repatriation of ethnic minorities.<ref name=TGraph>{{cite news|last=Sparrow|first=Andrew| author-link = Andrew Sparrow |title=Duncan Smith orders Monday Club to suspend Tory links|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1359863/Duncan-Smith-orders-Monday-Club-to-suspend-Tory-links.html|access-date=16 November 2013|newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|date=19 October 2001|location=London}}</ref> Davis later told the media: "I have told them that until a number of things are concluded&mdash;particularly some concerns about the membership of the club, and a review of the club's constitution and a requirement that the club will not promulgate or discuss policies relating to race&mdash;the club is suspended from any association with the Conservative party".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2001/oct/19/uk.race|title=Tories cut Monday Club link over race policies|first=Nicholas|last=Watt|date=19 October 2001|work=The Guardian}}</ref> Three MPs, [[Andrew Hunter (British politician)|Andrew Hunter]], [[Andrew Rosindell]] and [[Angela Watkinson]], were ordered to resign from the club.{{cn|date=August 2024}}

==Later years and disbanding==
From 1993, new full members of the club had to be members of the Conservative Party, though there was no such requirement for associate membership.<ref>[http://www.conservativeuk.com/mcapp.pdf Monday Club membership application form] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160412125537/http://www.conservativeuk.com/mcapp.pdf |date=2016-04-12 }}.</ref> Monday Club observers, such as [[Denis Walker]], have attended [[Democratic Unionist Party]] conferences.

In 2002, the club was described as a "bastion on the Tory hard right" by [[BBC News Online]].<ref>{{cite news| url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/1978846.stm | work=BBC News | title=Right-wing club appeals for Tory return | date=10 May 2002}}</ref> The club's agenda stressed support for what it calls "traditional Conservative values", including "resistance to '[[political correctness]]{{'"}}.<ref name="Britain1">{{cite news|title=Welcome to the Monday Club|url=https://www.conservativeuk.com/|access-date=8 June 2019|website=Monday Club|date=March 2016|location= Bishop's Stortford}}</ref>

On 10 May 2002, the [[BBC]] reported that the club sought to restore its links with the Conservative Party.<ref name="news.bbc.co.uk" />

''[[The Times]]'' reported on 2 June 2006 that, as the club "is now slowly nudging back into the mainstream, many members feel that it is time to return to the fold". Having returned to being a much smaller organisation, the Club continued to lobby Parliamentarians, to publish comment pieces and an annual journal. It also organised occasional meetings and hosted dinners in London. Speakers included MPs [[Christopher Chope]], [[Andrew Rosindell]] and [[Ian Paisley Jr]], [[Arlene Foster]], and cleric [[Michael Nazir-Ali]].

The group's website listed its priorities as the maintenance of the monarchy and the Union; protecting the "family unit"; restoring law and order; opposition to Britain's membership in the EU; promoting a "sound economy" and a "robust defence capability"; opposition to "political correctness" and maintaining traditional values.<ref name="Britain1"/>

With the emergence of groups such as Conservative Alliance for Britain and Popular Conservatives, the Club's place as the flag bearer of the traditional right tendency was largely superseded. For this reason, coupled with a declining membership and increasingly straightened finances, the Club's Executive reluctantly came to the decision to disband the organisation in July 2024.{{Citation needed|date=September 2025}}

== Monday Club publications ==
{{Further|List of Conservative Monday Club publications}}

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|2}}

==References==
* Copping, Robert, ''No Punches Pulled - Britain Today'', Current Affairs Information Service (CAIS), Ilford, Essex, n/d but probably circa 1970 (P/B).
* Copping, Robert, ''The Story of The Monday Club - The First Decade'', (i) (Foreword by [[George Pole]]), Current Affairs Information Service, [[Ilford]], Essex, April 1972 (P/B).
* Copping, Robert, ''The Monday Club - Crisis and After'', (foreword by [[John Biggs-Davison]] MP), (ii) CAIS, Ilford, May 1975 (P/B).
* Rose, Professor Richard, ''Politics in England - Persistence and Change'', London, 1st published 1965. 4th edition 1985, p.&nbsp;301, {{ISBN|0-571-13830-6}}
* [[Simon Heffer|Heffer, Simon]], ''[[Like the Roman: The Life of Enoch Powell]]'', London, 1998, {{ISBN|0-297-84286-2}} (many references to the Monday Club).
* Coxall, Bill, and Lynton Robins, ''Contemporary British Politics'', Macmillan Press, Basingstoke, 1993 reprint, (P/B), Monday Club profile on p.&nbsp;239. {{ISBN|0-333-34046-9}}

==External links==
*[https://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/evolutionofparliament/legislativescrutiny/parliament-and-europe/collections/parliament-and-europe/faith-not-despair-pamphlet/ Parliament & Europe: 1967 Monday Club Pamphlet - UK Parliament Living Heritage]
*{{Official website|http://www.conservativeuk.com}}{{Dead link|date=September 2025}}
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