Pro-Euro Conservative Party

Pro-Euro Conservative Party
Founded10 March 1999[1]
Dissolved10 December 2001
Split fromConservative Party
Merged intoLiberal Democrats
IdeologyOne-nation conservatism
Liberal conservatism
Pro-Europeanism
Political positionCentre-right
ColoursBlue, Yellow

The Pro-Euro Conservative Party was a minor, Pro-European British political party, announced by John Stevens and Brendan Donnelly in February 1999, formed to contest the 1999 European Parliament election.[2][3] The founders were Members of the European Parliament who had resigned from the UK Conservative Party[4] in protest at its anti-euro stance.[3] Their reported aim was to replace Eurosceptic William Hague as Conservative leader with Europhile Kenneth Clarke.[5][6] Stevens later said that they had intended to push Ken Clarke, Michael Heseltine, Chris Patten and other pro-Europeans in the Conservative Party into "an SDP-style breakaway, in combination with the Liberal Democrats".[7][8] The Pro-Euro Conservative Party disbanded in 2001.[9]

  1. ^ White, Michael; Nicholas Watt (11 March 1999). "Rebel Tory MEPs deal body blow to Hague". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 August 2009.
  2. ^ Stevens, John (10 June 1999). "The Challenge Awaiting Britain's Conservatives". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 28 August 2009.
  3. ^ a b Wolff, Marie (21 February 1999). "Pro-Euro party threatens to split Tories". The Independent. Retrieved 28 August 2009.
  4. ^ "Pro-Euro Conservative Party". BBC News. 28 May 1999. Retrieved 28 August 2009.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference confusion was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Buerkle, Tom (20 May 1999). "Euro Is Emerging Again As a Key British Issue". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 19 May 2015. Retrieved 28 August 2009.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference joining was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Stevens, John (13 June 2001). "Make the break, Ken". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 August 2009.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference breakaway was invoked but never defined (see the help page).