The end of an era: The decline and fall of the Tory Party

Mark Fields | Issue 7 | Comment, Magazine

From the Archive

NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 15: United Kingdom Minister of State for Asia and the Pacific Mark Field looks on as U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson speaks during a United Nations Security Council meeting concerning North Korea's nuclear ambitions, December 15, 2017 in New York City. On Thursday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that the Security Council resolutions on North Korea's nuclear programs must be fully implemented. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 15: United Kingdom Minister of State for Asia and the Pacific Mark Field looks on as U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson speaks during a United Nations Security Council meeting concerning North Korea's nuclear ambitions, December 15, 2017 in New York City. On Thursday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that the Security Council resolutions on North Korea's nuclear programs must be fully implemented. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Former MP Mark Field – author of tell-all memoir The End of an Era – reflects on where it all went wrong for his party

I blame my old friend Philip Hammond. We were out celebrating with our wives at a restaurant shortly after I had finally graced the ministerial ranks. Reflecting on the vicissitudes of political advancement, the then chancellor turned to me with his characteristic wry smile: “You do have a remarkable capacity for getting into high-profile scrapes.”

I guess he had my notoriously close friendship with his cabinet colleague and future prime minister Liz Truss, as well as my alleged role in David Cameron’s “Piggate” scandal, in mind. My skirmish at the Mansion House with climate protestors was still to come – ironically enough, this later drama played out only yards away from the top table where Hammond himself and Mark Carney, then governor of the Bank of England and en route to the Canadian premiership, were guests of honour.

So although my time in politics featured only a moderate level of conventional attainment, I probably enjoyed greater prominence and public profile than many who ended up reaching higher rungs on the political ladder. Philip Hammond’s words came flooding back as the bewilderingly swift changes in personnel at 10 Downing Street during summer 2022 persuaded some old friends in the media to make contact with me. Perhaps my political memoir might be of wider appeal? To be honest, I did not need too much persuading; having served in parliament during the torrid …

Subscribe to The Mace

Join the member community shaping British politics and stay ahead of what's really happening in the world of politics and public affairs, with expert analysis, breaking news, and insider insights from Westminster and Brussels. The Mace is the leading news source and resource for the government affairs industry, offering required reading and lobby intelligence for professionals.

To see what you are missing out on by not subscribing to The Mace, click here to download our full membership info-pack. This includes having no paywall on op-ed content or profiles/interviews, allowing professional profiles to be read with maximum impact and visibility by government, special advisers, MPs, peers, civil servants, and policy and political decision-makers.



Checkmate DC’s bold London move

William Cash | June 5, 2026

Tristan Breijer is the new London head of Checkmate Government Relations. The move into London gives the US lobby firm its first European base, bringing its global power-broking

Gradually and suddenly: how VAT is slowly killing off traditional private education

Mace | June 5, 2026

Latest Dept of Education figures reveal over 40,000 independent school pupils dropping out since Labour's VAT raid. But, The Mace argues, surging fees, an arms race for facilities

Wigan Man will decide the next Prime Minister

Mace | June 1, 2026

Andy Burnham may struggle to win the Makerfield by-election if ‘Wigan Man’ emerges as the new median voter whom parties must attract to win the next election, says

Brussels Diary by Konstantinos Bogdanos: ‘The local bistros are half-empty as the Belgian middle class finds even a weekend meal an unaffordable luxury”

Konstantinos Bogdanos | May 26, 2026

Konstantinos Bogdanos, our regular Brussels Diarist, on how the bills for Europe’s political class are finally coming due in a city where the Belgian middle-class can't afford to

Time’s up on late payments: How large companies are harming UK’s smaller businesses

Mace | May 24, 2026

Graeme Donnelly, CEO and founder of 1st Formations, explains why the King’s Speech’s proposed crackdown on late payments will help the SME economy.

The Downing Street revolving door undermines democracy and weakens policymaking

Lucy Carrier-Pilkington | May 21, 2026

With the battle for Labour's leadership far from over, Lucy Carrier-Pilkington analyses what a change in leader could mean for policymaking.

The Stress Test executive boards should not ignore 

Markus Leutert | May 20, 2026

The companies that will emerge with their reputation intact will be those that treat brand coherence as a governance discipline.

Time to pay-up: why the government is right to crack-down on late payments by large companies

Mace | May 20, 2026

New legislation in the King's Speech to clamp down on large companies paying small suppliers late is long overdue, says Sarah Stone

Are Labour eyeing a return to the EU? Mace investigates the key players involved 

Lucy Carrier-Pilkington | May 19, 2026

Recent comments by the former health secretary have plunged Brexit back into national conversation, but what does Labour actually think?

The hidden cost of doing business in the UK, and why this needs to change

Clive Wratten | May 19, 2026

The status of the UK as a leading destination for business is under threat, warns CEO Clive Wratten.