About Progress

Progress is a new network established by the New Party as part of an initiative to launch a genuine, credible progressive party in the UK.

We reject nationalism, racism and xenophobia; instead we seek to build support for a political agenda around progressive goals.

Local groups can affiliate to Progress. Your group can be an issue-based campaign, a discussion group or even an informal group, as long as the group fully accepts our statement of principles and is accepted as an affiliate.

If you wish to discuss your group becoming an affiliate member of Progress, please contact progress@newparty.co.uk

Statement of Principles

Progress stands for a rational politics that is both liberal and progressive. We call ourselves liberal because we stand for the predominantly market-based economy and liberal democratic society that has been so successfully pursued in the Western world. We call ourselves progressive because we understand our principles and values to be forward-looking, universal in scope and not confined to a particular geography or culture.

We support a welfare system that enables individuals and families to build up their own assets and take control of their lives, freeing them from the dependency that is the hallmark of the old welfare state. Reform of the public services, especially through extending individual choice and ownership, is an essential next step in social policy.

We place education and the advancement of knowledge at the centre of our approach. We believe that the pursuit of knowledge is rewarding for individuals and for the wider society. Education should be a lifelong process and intrinsic to everything we do.

We seek to challenge vested interests and 'NIMBYism'. We support an overhaul of the planning system to allow vital infrastructure projects including much-needed investment in nuclear technology.

Our vision of Europe is one of open, flexible and free societies working to address common problems. We oppose any retreat into protectionism, isolationism and xenophobia. Instead, we call for political leaders in Europe to shift away from the narrow agenda of EU institution-building to the broader goals of building and sustaining free societies.

We promote free trade and international development, recognising that the developing world needs to share in prosperity. Concerns over environmental and trade issues must be addressed co-operatively, and terrorist threats must be confronted.

We need to strengthen our relations with our democratic allies and challenge regimes that abuse human rights or threaten regional stability. We must be prepared to use all of the tools of policy - diplomatic, economic and military - to support progressive goals in the international arena.