History of the CPF
The CPF’s history can be traced back to the Conservative Political Centre (CPC) of the early post-war years. Established in 1945, this was the Party’s political education body and made a significant contribution to the development of election-winning policies that delivered thirteen years of radical Conservative Government from 1951 to 1964.
Following the reorganisation of Conservative Central Office in 1988, the CPC was brought within a new Research Directorate, along with the Conservative Research Department, with which its development was more closely aligned. The CPC changed its name to the Conservative Policy Forum in 1999.
Building on this heritage, the CPF was relaunched as a national group of the voluntary Party in January 2011 and, after over a year’s dormancy, again in late 2015 with the aim of creating a truly inclusive, national Forum, accessible to all regardless of age or location, that has real influence on Party policy.