The Cornerstone Group (or Faith, Flag and Family) is a socially conservative or traditionalist political faction within the British Conservative Party consisting of Eurosceptic, traditionalist MPs. It is led by President Edward Leigh, MP and Chairman John Hayes, MP[1], and has 35 members in all. The name stems from its support for three British social institutions: the Church of England, the unitary British state, and the family. To this end, they emphasise England's Anglican heritage, oppose any transfer of power away from the United Kingdom -- either downwards to the nations and regions or upwards to the European Union -- and seek to place greater emphasis on "traditional" family structures to repair what they see as a broken society in Britain. They oppose high levels of immigration into the UK, and some members have in the past professed controversial opinions on issues of race and ethnicity in modern Britain[2] [3]. Some members also support capital punishment. Prominent MPs from this wing of the party include Andrew Rosindell and Edward Leigh—himself a prominent Roman Catholic, notable in a faction marked out by its support for the established Church of England. Alan Duncan once referred to this wing as a "Taliban tendency" within the party. The conservative English philosopher Roger Scruton represents the intellectual wing of the Cornerstone group: his writings rarely touch on economics and instead concentrate on providing conservative perspectives on political, social, cultural and moral issues. A tradition is a story or a custom that is memorized and passed down from generation to generation, originally without the need for a writing system. ... A political faction is presently an informal grouping of individuals, especially within a political organisation, such as a political party, a trade union, or other group with some kind of political purpose (referred to in this article as the “broader organisation”). It may also be referred to as a power... The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative and Unionist Party) is the second largest political party in the United Kingdom in terms of sitting Members of Parliament (MPs), the largest in terms of public membership, and the oldest political party in the United Kingdom. ... Euroscepticism is scepticism about, or disagreement with, the purposes of the European Union, sometimes coupled with a desire to preserve national sovereignty. ... A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a parliament. ... Edward Julian Egerton Leigh (born 20 July 1950) is a politician in the United Kingdom. ... John Henry Hayes (born 23 June 1958) is a politician in the United Kingdom. ... The Church of England is the officially established Christian church[1] in England, and acts as the mother and senior branch of the worldwide Anglican Communion, as well as a founding member of the Porvoo Communion. ... A map showing the unitary states. ... The term Anglican describes those people and churches following the religious traditions of the Church of England, especially following the Reformation. ... Andrew Richard Rosindell (born March 17, 1966) is a British Conservative Member of Parliament for Romford. ... Edward Julian Egerton Leigh (born 20 July 1950) is a politician in the United Kingdom. ... The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... Alan Duncan Alan James Carter Duncan MP (born March 31, 1957) is a British Conservative politician, and Member of Parliament for Rutland and Melton. ... The Taliban (Pashto: , students or seekers of knowledge) are a fundamentalist Sunni Muslim and ethnic Pashtun movement that ruled most of Afghanistan from 1996 until 2001, when their leaders were removed from power by American aerial bombardment and Northern Alliance ground forces. ... Roger Vernon Scruton (born 27 February 1944) is a British philosopher. ...

Members[4]

• David Amess MP
• Brian Binley MP
• Peter Bone MP
• Julian Brazier MP
• David Burrowes MP
• Douglas Carswell MP
• William Cash MP
• Christopher Chope MP
• Stephen Crabb MP
• David TC Davies MP
• Philip Davies MP
• Nadine Dorries MP
• Christopher Fraser MP
• Robert Goodwill MP
• Greg Hands MP
• Mark Harper MP
• John Hayes MP
• Philip Hollobone MP
• Gerald Howarth MP
• David Jones MP
• Daniel Kawczynski MP
• Edward Leigh MP
• Ian Liddell-Grainger MP
• David Mundell MP
• Owen Paterson MP
• John Redwood MP
• Laurence Robertson MP
• Andrew Rosindell MP
• Lee Scott MP
• Bob Spink MP
• Graham Stuart MP
• Andrew Turner MP
• Charles Walker MP
• Angela Watkinson MP
• John Whittingdale MP
• Sir Nicholas Winterton MP

David Anthony Andrew Amess (born March 26, 1952) is a British Member of Parliament for Southend West. ... Brian Arthur Roland Binley (born 1 May 1942) is a United Kingdom Conservative Party politician. ... Peter William Bone (born October 19, 1952) is a British Conservative Party politician, and MP for Wellingborough. ... Julian William Hendy Brazier TD (born July 24, 1953) is a British politician. ... David Burrowes David John Barrington Burrowes (born 1969) is a British politician. ... (John) Douglas (Wilson) Carswell (born 3 April 1971) British politician. ... William Nigel Paul Cash, usually Bill Cash (born 1940) is an English Tory politician, Member of Parliament and opposition front-bencher. ... Christopher Robert Chope OBE (born May 19, 1947) British politician and barrister. ... Stephen Crabb (born January 20, 1973) British politician He is the Conservative Member of Parliament for Preseli Pembrokeshire. ... David Thomas Charles Davies (born July 27, 1970, London) is a Welsh Conservative politician, representing Monmouth in the National Assembly for Wales. ... Philip Davies MP Philip Andrew Davies (born January 5, 1972) is a British politician. ... Nadine Vanessa Dorries (born 1958) is a British politician. ... Christopher James Fraser (born 25 October 1962) is a United Kingdom politician. ... Robert Goodwill (born December 31, 1956, North Yorkshire) is a British politician and a member of the Conservative Party (UK). ... Greg Hands, MP for Hammersmith and Fulham Gregory William Greg Hands (born 1965) British politician. ... Mark James Harper (born June 26, 1970) is the Conservative MP for the Forest of Dean. ... John Henry Hayes (born 23 June 1958) is a politician in the United Kingdom. ... Philip Hollobone MP Philip Thomas Hollobone (born November 7, 1964) He is a British politician and is both a Conservative Member of Parliament for the Kettering constituency (since 2005) and a Conservative member of Kettering Borough Council for the Buccleuch ward (since 2003) Philip Hollobone was educated at Dulwich College... James Gerald Douglas Howarth known as Gerald Howarth (born 12 September 1947, Hurley, Berkshire) is a British politician in the Conservative Party. ... David Ian Jones (born 22 March 1952), is a Conservative politician. ... Daniel Robert Kawczynski (born January 24, 1972) is the Conservative Party Member for Parliament for Shrewsbury and Atcham in Shropshire, England. ... Edward Julian Egerton Leigh (born 20 July 1950) is a politician in the United Kingdom. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... David Gordon Mundell (born 27 May 1962 in Dumfries) is a Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party MP and former Member of the Scottish Parliament. ... Owen William Paterson (born 24 June 1956, Whitchurch) is a British politician. ... The Right Honourable John Redwood Dr. John Alan Redwood (born June 15, 1951 in Dover, Kent) is a British Conservative Party politician, Member of Parliament for Wokingham and formerly Shadow Secretary of State for Deregulation in the Shadow Cabinet. ... Laurence Anthony Robertson (born 29 March 1958, Bolton) is a British politician. ... Andrew Richard Rosindell (born March 17, 1966) is a British Conservative Member of Parliament for Romford. ... Lee Scott is a Conservative politician in the United Kingdom, and Member of Parliament for Ilford North winning the seat in the 2005 election on 5 May 2005. ... Dr Robert Michael Spink (born 1 August 1948, Yorkshire) is a politician in the United Kingdom. ... Graham Charles Stuart (born March 12, 1962, Carlisle) is a British Conservative Party politician. ... Andrew John Turner (born 24 October 1953, Coventry) is a politician in the United Kingdom. ... Charles Ashley Rupert Walker (born 11 September 1967) is a Conservative politician in the United Kingdom. ... Angela Eileen Watkinson (born 18 November 1941, Leytonstone) is a politician in the United Kingdom. ... John Flasby Lawrance Whittingdale OBE (16 October 1959) is a Conservative politician in the United Kingdom. ... Sir Nicholas Raymond Winterton, (born March 31, 1938, Rugeley, Staffordshire) is a British politician, and Conservative Member of Parliament for Macclesfield. ...

External links

• Cornerstone Group official site
• Press release about the founding of the Cornerstone Group 25 July, 2005