Michaelmas newsletter ‘25

Good afternoon,

This year, CANZUK broke through to mainstream conservative thought. From activists to the shadow cabinet, CANZUK is increasingly viewed as not simply a realistic prospect, but a vital opportunity for the United Kingdom.

I am incredibly proud of the whole  CF of CANZUK team for driving our work forward. Despite the time constraints put upon us by this being a voluntary organisation, we have made impressive progress.

Over the past year we have launched CF of CANZUK, created strong ties across the realms, begun to create a cross-party grouping within the United Kingdom, and have built a strong caucus of parliamentarians who stand ready to push for CANZUK in 2026.

Whilst we are waiting for the Conservative and Labour parties to join the Liberal Democrats in backing CANZUK, the path to policy is clearer than ever before.

I would like to thank Lord Hannan and Andrew Rosindell MP in particular for their support. As our President and vice-President, they have been the real force behind our organisation. I would also like to thank all parliamentarians who joined CF of CANZUK this year, and those who have continued to support us.

A special thank you also to Lord Frost. His Lordship has stepped back from CF of CANZUK due to his becoming a non-affiliated peer. However, during his time with us, he provided real intellectual rigour to CANZUK. When, as we hope, a cross-party grouping is formed, we will look forward to working with his Lordship again in the future.

In this Michaelmas edition, we review the highlights of a very busy year. We look forward to a 2026 filled with policy-making, events, new connections, and raising the profile of CANZUK.

On behalf of the CF of CANZUK team, may I wish you a peaceful and merry Christmas, and a happy new year.

Yours sincerely,

Elliott Malik

Director of the Conservative Friends of CANZUK

Achievements of 2025

We launched CF of CANZUK in Parliament, being joined by our caucus members, representatives of the CANZ high commissions, and supporters from all the CANZUK realms.

We submitted our 'first principles’ paper to the Conservative Party’s policy review. This presents the intellectual grounding, and the pressing need, for CANZUK to be actioned

We held our first caucus roundtable, providing an opportunity for the committee to thank our parliamentarians and for all of us to discuss our work in 2026. These plans are now being actioned, and we look forward to revealing all in the new year.

Our patron, Lord Roberts of Belgravia, delivered a lecture on the need for CANZUK and the great ties between our realms in June. I urge anyone who has not watched this to do so over Christmas. If you were not convinced of CANZUK’s efficacy before, you will be after you listen to it.

Alongside the Conservative Commonwealth Group, we held two online events: one for the Canadian Federal Election with special guest Tony Clement P.C. and one for the Australian Federal Election with Prof. George Brandis K.C.

We gained new parliamentary patrons: Andrew Bowie MP, Mims Davies MP, Kevin Hollinrake MP, Robert Jenrick MP, Joy Morrissey MP, Katie Lam MP, Jack Rankin MP, David Simmonds MP, Greg Stafford MP and Tom Tugendhat MP.

CANZUK stalwart Paul Bristow was elected Mayor of Cambridgeshire & Peterborough, becoming the first regional mayor in our Local Government Network.

Highlights of the ever-deepening ties between the realms

The King became the first Canadian monarch to open their Parliament in almost 70 years. I explained the importance of this visit in Conservative Home.

In the face of rising threats in the Far East, the UK and Australia signed the Geelong Treaty, and the UK sent HMS Prince of Wales and its carrier strike group to Australia to join Exercise Talisman Sabre. My co-director, David Moore, and I were interviewed by Japan’s Sankei Shinbun about CANZUK’s potential to assist the East Asian democracies in defence and other areas.

The Prime Minister of New Zealand, Christopher Luxon, met the King of New Zealand and the UK Prime Minister. The two PMs discussed stepping up bilateral military partnerships through a bolstered defence and security agenda. The leaders also agreed to work to further reduce trade barriers and increase partnership in the agricultural sector.

The Critical Minerals for Resilience and Sustainability (MINERS) initiative was formed between the UK and Canada. This will allow world-leading researchers to collaborate on one of the most pressing geopolitical threat (or opportunity) of our time.

The Liberal Party of Canada joined the Conservative Party of Canada in endorsing CANZUK.

The Liberal Democrats endorsed CANZUK.

Canadian, Australian, New Zealander, and British government have all voiced support for deepening ties between our realms. We must now transform warm words and individual policies into a cohesive framework.