Kevin Hollinrake: Conservatives from top to bottom need to understand – opposition is not a ‘holding pattern’

Kevin Hollinrake is Chairman of the Conservative Party.

Giles Dilnot was right in his article before Christmas and if Conservatives were uncomfortable reading it, that is the point.

We will not win again through reassurance, process or centralised cleverness. We will only win if every part of this party accepts that recovery requires more effort, more discipline and more ownership, starting at the top and extending to every association, councillor, campaign team and volunteer.

Opposition is not a holding pattern. It is a test of seriousness. Parties that treat it as a time to wait, rather than to rebuild, stay in opposition.

So let me be clear at the outset: if the Conservative Party wants to win again, everyone must do more. Not later. Not eventually. Now.

When Kemi asked me to take on the role of Conservative Party Chairman last summer, I accepted with that challenge firmly in mind. We were a year into Opposition. The party had stabilised after defeat, but stability is not recovery and recovery is not victory. Turning a corner is different from changing direction.

It is right to acknowledge those who did the essential work of holding the party together after the election defeat. Richard Fuller, Nigel Huddleston and Dominic Johnson helped steady CCHQ at a difficult moment and laid foundations that mattered. But no one should confuse that necessary work with the harder task of rebuilding a winning machine.

Kemi’s appointment of Mark McInness as CEO marked a clear shift in approach. Since then, our focus has been deliberately unsentimental: rebuild the party properly, confront weaknesses honestly, and stop pretending that momentum comes from announcements alone.

The first task has been clarity. After defeat, parties lose the right to be heard. They have to earn it back. Our national communications exist for one purpose: to make the Conservative case clearly, consistently and without apology. Kemi’s leadership at PMQs, at Conference, in her policy announcements and in her Budget response has given us a voice again.

Our job at CCHQ is to apply the ‘Multiplier Effect’ to amplify it – through media, social media, high-quality digital content, research, targeted advertising and disciplined set-piece announcements. Taken together, this approach has significantly increased our reach and ensured Conservative arguments are once again cutting through on the platforms that matter.

But elections cannot be won on screens alone. They never have been. Digital reach matters, but it must be multiplied by organisation, discipline and hard graft on the ground.

Campaigning is a craft. It rewards those who do the basics well, relentlessly. That means knocking doors when it is dark and cold. It means fighting local issues that matter to voters, not just national talking points. It means building teams, training people and holding ourselves accountable for performance.

Where we are organised and working hard, we are seeing results. Conservatives continue to demonstrate that we can still win – and win convincingly – in council by-elections, with strong performances right across the country. These victories do not happen by accident. They happen because local teams are disciplined, visible and focused on the issues that matter to their communities. They also recognise that we now operate in a more fragmented, multi-party environment, where tactical voting and local dynamics matter more than ever.

But we should also be honest about where we need to raise our game.

A major workstream this year is focused on our campaigning infrastructure and technology. If we expect activists and candidates to give up evenings and weekends, we owe them tools that are reliable, intuitive and genuinely helpful on the doorstep -alongside proper training, better data and stronger local support. Our ambition is clear: to ensure our campaigning operation is once again best in class and properly matched to the professionalism of our volunteers.

That work is essential, not optional. Strong ground campaigns do not happen by accident. They require investment, competence, accountability and sustained support from the centre.

The same applies to policy. We are not interested in gestures or slogans. The policies we are setting out are serious, costed and rooted in Conservative principles – whether on welfare reform, stamp duty, business rates, borders or defence. But policy only matters if it is understood, believed in and confidently explained on the doorstep. That requires effort from MPs, candidates and activists alike, not just from policy units.

There are positive signs. Fundraising has strengthened as confidence in our direction has grown. Donors are returning because they see seriousness and leadership again. That gives us the capacity to invest, but money without effort wins nothing.

So this is not a reassurance piece, and it is not a defence of the status quo. It is a call to action.

The centre of the party has a responsibility to lead, support and enable and we are doing that. But no chairman, no leader and no HQ can win elections on behalf of a party that is not prepared to put the work in locally.

If we want to win again, everyone must do more, starting at the top and extending to every association and campaign team across the country.

The Conservative Party has always been strongest when it faces reality head on, without excuses and without self-pity. That is how we rebuilt before, and that is how we will rebuild again.

2026 will be tough. But if we match clarity with discipline, and belief with effort, this party can earn back trust one doorstep at a time.

Thank you to every Conservative who gives their time, energy and support: every donor, every volunteer and every member of the CCHQ team. The hours you put in, often unseen and unthanked, are the backbone of this party.

I wish you all a very happy, healthy and successful New Year.