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John Lewis enjoyed a golden age when the employee-owned retail giant was helmed by Sir Andy Street and he is now working to return prosperity to the UK. This former Mayor of the West Midlands wants to see a political and economic renaissance but is horrified at how he believes decisions taken in Downing Street are killing jobs and hollowing out the high street.

Sir Andy, 62, was revered in Conservative circles for twice defeating Labour in back to back races for the West Midlands mayoralty. This champion of Birmingham showed that a liberal, pro-business Tory could win the confidence of a diverse 21st century electorate. He was denied a third term in the May 2024 election, with Labour winning by a mere 1,508 votes – two months before Sir Keir Starmer ousted Rishi Sunak with his landslide victory. And Labour rule is not panning out as Sir Andy expected.

“No,” he says. “They’re far worse.”

He does not hesitate when asked to name one thing he would urge Rachel Reeves to do restore growth – reverse her increase in employers’ National Insurance contributions. Sir Andy says it is “definitely true that she has priced young people out of the labour market”. He fears if people are unemployed in their first years outside education they will never get a job.

The former retail managing director is equally clear on what needs to happen to save the British high street.

“I’ve been saying this to chancellors right back to George Osborne. I would remove business rates.”

He has no time for the idea that the internet has killed traditional shopping, arguing people “want to go and look, feel, touch and actually see something different”. But the big challenge for anyone trying to keep a business alive in a town centre is tax.

“The idea that retail is completely dead on the high street is definitely not right. But you will hear all the retail CEOs talking about the pernicious nature of business rates.”

He has multiple ideas at his fingertips about how to pump life into towns. He supports building homes near shops, arguing many young people have no desire to own a car but want to live within walking distance of amenities. NHS diagnostic centres, he adds, should be opened on high streets.

But he yearns for a bigger transformation of Britain and wants the next general election to be more than a choice between Labour and Reform UK. A personal mission is ensuring people have the chance to vote for a tolerant, centre-right Conservative party.

Friends in the business community have told him: “Andy, I just do not know who to vote for. I’m lost.”

He claims there are around seven million such politically “homeless” people in the country today.

Together with former Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson, he has founded Prosper UK, a pro-growth “movement” committed to coming up with the solutions the nation needs to thrive in the long-term.

“Our job is to unite the centre-right, moderate, inclusive, tolerant part of the spectrum,” he explains.

He sees growth as vital for funding improvements in public services and investment in defence, and he takes inspiration from the values he saw in action at his old employer.

The John Lewis business model gives staff a stake in the common success of the enterprise, and he believes a healthy society will also have a sense of “collective endeavour”.

“The whole notion of John Lewis was that if we were collectively successful then the rewards would be shared between us,” he says.

Prosper supporters include a host of centrist Tories who had leading roles in past Conservative governments, such as key Theresa May allies Gavin Barwell and David Lidington.

Is this a proto-party that could challenge Kemi Badenoch’s Conservatives if she moves the party too far to the Right? Sir Andy stamps on this notion.

“We’re not intending to be a party,” he says.

Rather, the hope is Prosper will be a talent stream for the Tories, encouraging people with centre-right beliefs to stand for election and then helping them win.

He does not want the Conservatives to form an alliance with Nigel Farage’s party, arguing there is a world of difference between his politics and Reform UK’s populism.

Conservatism, he argues, is “about construction not destruction,” adding: “It is about cherishing the things that have made Britain successful as it is, without of course failing to acknowledge the challenges that we’ve got at the moment. It is just a completely different approach to politics.”

Prosper claims that in 213 of the 251 lost Conservative seats at the last election more former Tory voters “went to Labour, the Lib Dems or disengaged than to Reform”.

The launch of Prosper followed many late night phones calls among the founders. Finally, they met in person, linked arms and resolved to enter the battlefield of ideas.

“We do understand that what we’ve done isn’t for the faint-hearted,” he admits.

Supporters encouraged him to stand for a seat in the West Midlands when he lost the mayoralty but he does not feel a personal tug towards the green benches of the Commons. It is easier to imagine him standing in 2028 to win back the position of mayor. Will he give it a go?

“Nobody knows the answer to that, least of all me,” he says. “I certainly wouldn’t rule it out.”

In the US it is not at all uncommon for people to prove their leadership skills as a mayor or governor and then run for the presidency. His old Labour counterpart, Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham, is often spoken as a potential successor to Sir Keir. Does Sir Andy see Mr Burnham as a prime ministerial contender?

“Of course he must be in the mix,” he says.

He misses his role as a leading figure in devolved politics.

“I loved doing the job,” he says, adding it is hard to have it “suddenly taken away from you”.

In his “first year of freedom” he caught up with old friends, watched plays, took trips around the UK and went on a “fantastic” visit to tribal villages in Indonesia.

This was a time of liberation and wound-licking but the longing to make a new contribution to national life as a champion of moderate Conservativism stirred.

“The research is very clear,” he says. “People are beginning to reconsider the Conservative party.”

Having gone through a period of “atonement”, he argues, the Tories are “definitely in consideration”.

“It doesn’t mean we’ve signed the deal with anybody but I think we can be optimistic if we play it right,” he says.

The failure of the Liberal Democrats to capture the centre-ground of British politics also encourages him to think a Conservative comeback is possible.

“I don’t believe they’ve offered a pro-growth, pro-business agenda at all. And that’s again gives us the opportunity.”

He expects the key question at the next election will be who voters trust with the economy.

“There are some real opportunities for the Conservative party to demonstrate its credibility,” he insists. “That’s why we can win.”