I suffered 13 years in opposition – here’s my advice to my despairing fellow Tories | David Lidington

Life in the political wilderness is grim, but you have the luxury of time. Use it to offer a constructive alternative to Labour

• David Lidington was the Conservative MP for Aylesbury from 1992 to 2019

Dear Conservative colleagues,

After the 1997 general election it took the Tory party 13 years and five opposition leaders to get back into government. I began the 1997 parliament as private secretary to William Hague when he became leader, and did a succession of frontbench roles under him and his successors. I still remember the shock of losing so many colleagues to Tony Blair's landslide and the grinding frustration of the years that followed. What you decide and what you say now will help determine whether we have to wait that long again.

David Lidington was the Conservative MP for Aylesbury from 1992 to 2019