The Tories are a British political group most commonly referring today to the UK Conservative Party and its supporters, a major centre-right party in the United Kingdom that emphasizes free markets, traditional institutions, and a relatively smaller state role in the economy.

Quick definition

  • In modern UK politics, “Tories” is a nickname for the Conservative Party and its members or supporters.
  • The party is officially called the Conservative and Unionist Party and is one of the two largest UK-wide parties, alongside Labour.

Where the word comes from

  • The term “Tory” goes back to the late 17th century, originally describing a political faction that supported the monarchy and the hereditary right of James, Duke of York, to succeed to the throne.
  • Over the 19th century, that old Tory faction evolved into what became the modern Conservative Party, whose members kept the older nickname “Tories”.

What they broadly stand for

  • Tories are associated with conservatism : support for private enterprise, property rights, and relatively limited government intervention in the economy.
  • They also tend to stress national sovereignty, a strong military, and maintaining traditional institutions such as the monarchy and Parliament, though views can vary across internal party factions.

How people use the term

  • “Tory” can be neutral, positive, or insulting depending on who is speaking: supporters may use it casually as identity, critics may use it as a negative label.
  • In everyday conversation, if someone in UK politics says “the Tories”, they almost always mean the Conservative Party and its leadership in Westminster and across the UK’s political institutions.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.