The pandemic and the lockdowns have been the biggest state intervention in the economy and on people’s lives in living memory. In the case of the UK and other countries, the strict measures have been imposed by conservative politicians, and by governments that are considered centre-right and pro-market. At the same time, among people one can notice different attitudes towards the lockdown based on one’s ideology: people who associate more with the Left are generally pro-lockdown, whereas the popular base of the Right in many countries calls for an easing of the measures.

What is the present and the the future of conservatism in a world where the state has unprecedented powers, and where the government is effectively running the economy? Is there a gap between the popular basis of conservatism and its political representatives? Does the world even need conservatism?