The Conservative Party: Recent Leaders

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Conservatives under David Cameron

David Cameron was leader of the Conservative party from 2005 to 2016. Under his leadership the Conservatives were elected in coalition in 2010, and won an election in 2015.

Election as leader

David Cameron was elected leader of the Conservatives in 2005 replacing Michael Howard and was labelled the ‘heir to Blair’ by many.
- Comparisons were made to when Tony Blair became Labour leader and revolutionised the Labour party.
Cameron stepped down as leader after the 2016 EU referendum.

Party image and ideology

David Cameron was focused on making the Conservative party more electable.
Cameron looked to end the ‘nasty party’ image that voters had.
Cameron also aimed to move the party focus towards issues that would appeal to voters, such as the environment, and away from issues that divided the party, such as Europe.
Cameron adopted a more liberal approach towards the environment.
Cameron also believed in limiting state intervention.

2010 election campaign

The 2010 Conservative manifesto made policy promises, but was argued to lack substance.
Policies included:
- Stronger economic management, with tax and spending cuts and deficit reduction.
- Replacing the Human Rights Act with a UK Bill of Rights
- Accepting EU principles, but staying opposed to the transfer of powers away from the UK.
- Tougher exams and reduced state control over schools.

Coalition government

The 2010 election resulted in a hung parliament (no party had a majority).
The Conservatives entered into an agreement with the Lib Dems to form a coalition (two or more parties join together to form a government).
The government's policies included reducing benefits, deficit and spending cuts, and a referendum on the Alternative Vote system.
The economic policy came from the Conservatives, but the political reform policies were mostly from the Lib Dems.
The coalition ended in 2015.

Conservatives Under Theresa May and the Current Leadership

Theresa May became party leader following the EU referendum in 2016. She is the second female leader of the Conservatives, and the second female PM in the UK.

Impact of Brexit

The Conservatives had achieved little notable change after successfully winning the 2015 election with much focus on the EU referendum.
Under Theresa May a significant amount of work has been focused on preparing for Brexit and negotiating a deal for Britain’s withdrawal from the EU.
Brexit talks have divided the Conservative party and May's cabinet, with ministers resigning over decisions regarding Brexit.

May's policy proposals

Regional government: May did not continue the previous government’s “northern powerhouse” branding in the same form, but did not formally abolish elected mayoral systems (they continued to develop under devolution policy).
Environment / government departments: May created the Department for Exiting the European Union (DExEU) and the Department for International Trade, reflecting Brexit priorities.
Education: May expressed support for expanding grammar schools, but faced strong political opposition and did not implement large-scale expansion.

2017 general election

Theresa May called a 'snap' election in 2017 to strengthen her majority for the upcoming Brexit talks.
The Conservative Party lost its parliamentary majority and entered a confidence and supply agreement with the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP).
This meant the DUP supported the government in key votes such as the budget and confidence motions, but did not formally enter a coalition.

Current leadership

The Conservative Party is currently in opposition following the 2024 general election loss.
Party leadership has changed since the 2024 defeat, reflecting internal pressure to rebuild support.
The current leader of the Conservative Party is Kemi Badenoch.
Badenoch leads the party from opposition and is responsible for setting strategy, policy direction, and election rebuilding efforts.