The Margaret Thatcher Centre – Freedom Festival 2026

The weekend of the 21/22 March saw the 4th Annual Margaret Thatcher Centre – Freedom Festival in Buckingham.  These are great events we would highly recommend.  Over the past few years these have moved from being very Conservative (as in the party) based to more conservative (as in the philosophy) #with a growing acceptance that there are now two parties with memberships that largely believe in liberty, rule of law, a strong nation, and economic liberty.

A strong theme of this year’s event was bringing the right together.

Below are some notes from the weekend.  Where I’ve used quotes, these were taken down as notes to the best of my ability and memory and might not be 100% accurate. 

“44p in every £1 is spent by government.
We are 16 out of 18 countries in the OECD for Cancer survival rates.
No UK Chancellor has balanced the books in 26 years.”

Andrew Griffith MP, Shadow Business Secretary

Where we are today:

  • In 1998 the UK was 9th in the world for GDP per capita.  We are no longer in the top 20.
  • 44p in every £1 is spent by government.
  • We are 16 out of 18 countries in the OECD for Cancer survival rates.
  • No UK Chancellor has balanced the books in 26 years.
  • Every UK taxpayer carries £76K of government debt.

What we need:

  • Energy abundance, Flexible Labour Market, and Low Taxes.
  • Unblocking of the North Sea.
  • Take a chainsaw to regulation like Milei in Argentina.
  • We need to fall back in love with risk taking.
  • Every interaction with the HMRC to have a first name and surname from the department to drive accountability.

Panel Discussion: Is the Conservative Party Dead?

Among other things the panel discussed the following:

  • We have a Conservative Party where a lot of MPs voted to allow abortion up to Birth and asked if this is Conservative.
  • There was a general belief the party needed more democracy.

Panel Discussion: Uniting the Right? Lessons from America and Canada

Among other things the panel discussed the following:

  • People like Trump in the UK but largely the issue is not salient / people don’t care.  This may change with the war in Iran.
  • “You have to disagree, but you don’t have to be disagreeable”.
  • “Hate this trend where having views, even sound views, is the same as running a government department – it is not”.

Lord Frost – How Can Britain Recover?

  • Borrowing north of £100 billion a year.
  • We don’t have a say on all the laws in Northern Ireland.
  • We have an establishment that doesn’t see the benefit of national independence and are ill at ease with it.
  • “If Italy governs itself badly at least it still has the food, landscape and weather.  If Britain governs itself badly, what have you got?”
  • “We’ve moved from a world where Warden Hodges was a figure of fun to one where Covid clipboard Marshalls were valid”.
  • We “need to present freedom as empowerment”.

“There is no moral equivalence between a democracy defending itself and terrorists targeting civilians”

Sir Conor Burns, Chairman, The Margaret Thatcher Centre

  • They “sort the adulation of those who would never vote Conservative”.
  • “Members of Parliament have swapped power for status”.
  • “I have nothing against special advisors with their illustrious careers in Central Office, all 3 years of them”.

 Greg Smith MP, Mid-Buckinghamshire

  • Pointed out how we should always be on the side of Israel a democracy under attack.
  • “There is no moral equivalence between a democracy defending itself and terrorists targeting civilians”.

Laila Cunningham, London Mayoral Candidate, Reform UK

  • Spoke about the Free Market and asked “who serves who?”
  • Also, the need to reintroduce Community Policing in London.
  • “Two tier travel” in London, “those who can afford ULEZ and those who can’t”.
  • We “need to stop the was on motorists”.

“Two tier travel” in London, “those who can afford ULEZ and those who can’t”

Jack Rankin MP, Windsor

  • Talked about the need for “Muscular integration”.
  • He also noted the gender split among 6th formers between boys (Reform) and girls (Greens).

Panel Discussion: The Death of Free Speech in Starmer’s Britain

“You should be able to live your lives free to send hamster memes to regulators”

The Freedom Dinner had Lord Hannan as the main speaker.  He started the speech mentioning that 2026 is the 250th Anniversary of the unrest in the American colonies, but also Adam Smith’s The Wealth of Nations.

On a personal note it was fascinating to be sat next to Sir Ivan Lawrence KC an MP for over 20 years, someone who variously led or played a part in the defence of Stephen Ward in the Profumo trials, the Kray’s Dennis Nilsen, and the Brink’s-Mat robbery.

Peter Just Author, Margaret Thatcher: Life After Downing Street

  • Spoke about Maggie’s 7 Principles (of which I captured 5).
    • Liberty
    • Sound Money
    • Rule of Law
    • Strong National Defence
    • Strong Economy
  • Spoke about her successful plan for and export of privatisation.

“The 2 main parties of the last 100 years can’t get 40% between them.  We have 1980’s Italian politics.”

Panel Discussion: The Future of the Right

  • “Huge clear out needed of Conservative MPs to the left on immigration of the Tory voters and the public”.

Mark Littlewood, Director, Popular Conservatism

  • “The 2 main parties of the last 100 years can’t get 40% between them.  We have 1980’s Italian politics.”

In Conversation: Donal Blaney and Tim Montgomerie

  • Tim noted: “If you look at local government by-elections, I expect Reform to do well in May”.

Also thanks for Tim Aker, Gawain Towler, Paul Bristow, Will Yarwood, David Campbell Bannerman, Catherine McBride OBE, Tim Scott, and Giles Dilnot and others for some fascinating conversations and input around the event. 

“We need to fall back in love with risk taking”