A working class man with a deep, proud passion running through his veins. In the case of Sir Alex Ferguson this was football; for Patrick McLoughlin, it’s the Conservative party.

The timing is perfect for McLoughlin. Whilst some in the party might have the ability, they do not have his broad appeal. His predecessor Andrew Feldman was a shrewd, brilliant operator – a Jose Mourinho, perhaps – but after this summer’s whirlwind of political change, it is time for a fresh approach.

May has said that the party will work for all, not the few. McLoughlin now has to create a party that represents this, which is why his working class credentials are so crucial. To achieve this, the Conservatives need to look north. That means more than just a glitzier Manchester. The North East, for example, has not always felt it has the attention it deserves. This Government must develop cities and towns across the north. 

Without a strong economy, we will have no country that works ‘for every one of us’ as the Prime Minister promised, no motivation for the grassroots and no donor confidence. To get there, McLoughlin must help the party embrace business. Big business is at the heart of the UK economy, and the Conservative Party has to do more to work with it to secure a strong future for itself and for the country. 

As Chairman, McLoughlin, a former pit worker who defied the nonsense of Arthur Scargill, can speak for and understand the everyday voter far better than the hapless trade unions or Labour now can. He is the man to make the Tories a true One Nation party.