About us
C.A.NZ.UK, an old idea, a new opportunity.
Our Mission
The Conservative Friends of CANZUK is a new grassroots organisation aiming to build support for a post-Brexit realignment of British foreign policy among Conservative Party members, MPs, peers and policy makers.
Our objective is to expand the understanding of the benefits and objectives of the CANZUK movement among Conservative Party supporters. In doing this we seek to demonstrate to key policy makers the widespread and deep-rooted support for greater bonds between Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom that exist across large sections of the centre-right in this country.
As the United Kingdom enters the post-Brexit era and opens its arms to the world there has never been a better time to rekindle old bonds. Bonds that were so ignominiously severed with our entry into the European Economic Community.
Polls across all four proposed CANZUK states have demonstrated widespread public support for the concept and with Brexit secured there has never been a better opportunity to deliver upon this. CANZUK’s time has come and this opportunity must be seized.
Our History
The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom (CANZUK) was created in 2020. The APPG on CANZUK comprised politicians from both Houses of Parliament and MPs from both the government and opposition benches.
From this organisation, the first pro-CANZUK Conservative organisation was created in 2021. This was our direct predecessor: Conservatives for CANZUK. The organisation grew quickly, gaining dozens of backers, including the future Chancellor Jeremy Hunt. The organisation made headway, making connections across CANZUK. Unfortunately, administrative hiccoughs emerged which caused the organisation to plateau.
In mid-2023, a group of Conservatives in their early to mid-20s came together with one goal: to re-start the CANZUK movement within the Conservative Party. Lord Hannan of Kingsclere led this rejuvenation effort, believing it to be a perfect post-Brexit opportunity. The co-Chairs of Conservatives for CANZUK were joined by three Conservative staffers, a journalist, and a city lawyer to form the committee of the new Conservative Friends of CANZUK. The organisation held its inaugural meeting in August 2023, creating a constitution, being registered on Companies House, and creating lasting links with CANZUK groups across the four realms.
In June 2024, the Conservative Friends of CANZUK held their first event: an evening with Tony Abbott (former Prime Minster of Australia), hosted by Mr Abbott and Lord Hannan. This event was held in a packed-out Carlton Club, and brought together politicians, political theorists, and other pro-CANZUK individuals from across the country.