The Conservative Party must inspire a new generation to reject the "fundamentalism of socialism", International Trade Secretary Liam Fox is set to urge.
In a speech to the Centre for Policy Studies on Thursday evening amid the Tory leadership race, Dr Fox will call on the party to speak for the "quiet Conservatives" who are "all around us".
The Cabinet minister, who is supporting Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt to be the next prime minister, will tell the centre-right think tank: "We Conservatives treat people as they are, not as we would like them to be.
"We understand the motivations and the dreams of our fellow citizens - enhancing their freedom, but yes, requiring responsibility; maximising choice and therefore competition; and appealing to a belief in the possibility of one's own success.
"These aren't merely the ideals of a political ideology, but the fundamentals of human instinct."
READ MORE: Ruth Davidson told her MPs must block Boris Johnson's tax plan
He will continue: "It is our duty to make this case once again, to inspire a new generation to reject the fundamentalism of socialism, and restore faith in the philosophy of opportunity.
"Let us speak for those quiet Conservatives - for they are all around us - and ensure that our place in the next chapter of our nation's history is sealed.
"Not for our own benefit, but for the prosperity, security and opportunity that the people of our United Kingdom deserve to have."
Dr Fox will say the Tories have been the "most successful democratic party in the Western world, and the natural party of government in the United Kingdom for well over a century".
READ MORE: Boris Johnson is driving Britain towards a Brexit cliff-edge 'at speed,' warns Philip Hammond
And he will add: "Perhaps it is prudent, even necessary, to have such periodic heart-searching, but it is no excuse for the sort of self-induced negativity that occasionally afflicts British conservatism.
"Today, as we embark on the leadership contest that will select a new prime minister, we need to remember some of the fundamental benefits the Conservative Government has delivered, like record levels of employment, rising living standards, record levels of exports and foreign investment pouring into the UK."
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here