Introduction

The introductory chapter lays out the scope of the book, explaining that it explores the illiberal policy approach followed by the Conservative Party during its most recent period in power from 2010 onwards. It introduces the two key frameworks of the book: firstly, an illiberal playbook, consisting of ‘forging’, ‘bending’, and ‘breaking’ (Pirro and Stanley, Forging, bending, and breaking: Enacting the “illiberal playbook” in Hungary and Poland. Perspectives on Politics, 20(1), 86–101, 2022), and secondly, a six-way categorisation of policy tools (John, P. Making Policy Work. London, Routledge, 2011). Together, these can be combined to identify an ‘illiberal toolkit’. The structure of the book is explained, and it is situated within a broader agenda for the application of public policy concepts and theories to the study of radical right populism and associated concepts.