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Undid revision 907521767 by RednessInside (talk) - no explanation for the removal of this relevant text offered
Undid revision 907539680 by Sandstein (talk) you're talking about how someone becomes Prime Minister and how Conservative leadership elections work. This article is about neither of those things, it's about the people who have held the post of leader. The two subjects you are talking about are already covered in the relevant articles.
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|inaugural = [[Robert Peel]] ''(de facto)''<br /> [[Bonar Law]] ''(de jure)''
|inaugural = [[Robert Peel]] ''(de facto)''<br /> [[Bonar Law]] ''(de jure)''
}}
}}
The '''Leader of the Conservative Party''' in the [[United Kingdom]] is the head of the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]] and, if the party controls a majority in the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]], also the [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom]]. The leader is elected by party members from among the two persons with the most support among Conservative members of parliament. To date, two of the leaders have been women: [[Margaret Thatcher]] and [[Theresa May]]. The current leader is [[Boris Johnson]], [[2019 Conservative Party (UK) leadership election|elected in 2019]] as May's successor.
The '''Leader of the Conservative Party''' in the [[United Kingdom]] is the most senior politician of the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]]. To date, two of the leaders have been women: [[Margaret Thatcher]] and [[Theresa May]]. The post is currently held by [[Boris Johnson]], [[2019 Conservative Party (UK) leadership election|elected in 2019]] as May's successor.


==Overall leaders of the Party (1834–1922)==
==Overall leaders of the Party (1834–1922)==

Revision as of 21:14, 23 July 2019

Leader of the Conservative Party
Incumbent
Boris Johnson
since 23 July 2019
Inaugural holderRobert Peel (de facto)
Bonar Law (de jure)
Formation1834 (de facto)
1922 (de jure)

The Leader of the Conservative Party in the United Kingdom is the most senior politician of the Conservative Party. To date, two of the leaders have been women: Margaret Thatcher and Theresa May. The post is currently held by Boris Johnson, elected in 2019 as May's successor.

Overall leaders of the Party (1834–1922)

Overall leader
(Birth–Death) 		Portrait Constituency / Title Took office Left office Prime Minister (term)
Sir Robert Peel
(1788–1850) 		Tamworth 18 December 1834[a] 29 June 1846 style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | himself 1834–35
style="background-color: Template:British Whig Party/meta/color" | Melbourne 1835–41
style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | himself 1841–46
Edward Smith-Stanley
14th Earl of Derby from 1851
(1799–1869) 		Baron Stanley
(1846–1851)
Earl of Derby
(1851–1868) 		29 June 1846 27 February 1868 style="background-color: Template:British Whig Party/meta/color" | Russell 1846–52
style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | himself 1852
style="background-color: Template:Peelite/meta/color" | Aberdeen 1852–55
style="background-color: Template:British Whig Party/meta/color" | Palmerston 1855–58
style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | himself 1858–59
style="background-color: Template:Liberal Party (UK)/meta/color" | Palmerston 1859–65
style="background-color: Template:Liberal Party (UK)/meta/color" | Russell 1865–66
style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | himself 1866–68
Benjamin Disraeli
1st Earl of Beaconsfield from 1876
(1804–1881) 		Buckinghamshire
(1868–1876)
Earl of Beaconsfield
(1876–1881) 		27 February 1868 19 April 1881
(Died in office) 		style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | himself 1868
style="background-color: Template:Liberal Party (UK)/meta/color" | Gladstone 1868–74
style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | himself 1874–80
height=20 style="background-color: Template:Liberal Party (UK)/meta/color; border-bottom:solid 0 gray" | Gladstone 1880–85
rowspan=2 style="background-color: Template:Liberal Party (UK)/meta/color; border-top:solid 0 gray" |
Vacant
Leader of the Lords – 3rd Marquess of Salisbury
Leader of the Commons – Stafford Northcote 		19 April 1881 23 June 1885
Robert Gascoyne-Cecil
3rd Marquess of Salisbury
(1830–1903) 		Marquess of Salisbury 23 June 1885 11 July 1902 style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | himself 1885–86
style="background-color: Template:Liberal Party (UK)/meta/color" | Gladstone 1886
style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | himself 1886–92
style="background-color: Template:Liberal Party (UK)/meta/color" | Gladstone 1892–94
style="background-color: Template:Liberal Party (UK)/meta/color" | Rosebery 1894–95
style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | himself 1895–1902
Arthur Balfour
(1848–1930) 		Manchester East
(1902–1906)
City of London
(1906–1911) 		11 July 1902 13 November 1911 style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | himself 1902–05
style="background-color: Template:Liberal Party (UK)/meta/color" | C.-Bannerman 1905–08
height=20 style="background-color: Template:Liberal Party (UK)/meta/color; border-bottom:solid 0 gray" | Asquith 1908–16
Vacant
Leader of the Lords – 5th Marquess of Lansdowne
Leader of the Commons – Bonar Law 		13 November 1911 10 December 1916[b] height=50 style="background-color: Template:Liberal Party (UK)/meta/color; border-top:solid 0 gray" |
height=50 style="background-color: Template:Liberal Party (UK)/meta/color; border-bottom:solid 0 gray" | Lloyd George 1916–22
Bonar Law
(1858–1923) 		Bootle
(1916–1918)
Glasgow Central
(1918–1921) 		10 December 1916[b] 21 March 1921 rowspan="2" style="background-color: Template:Liberal Party (UK)/meta/color; border-top:solid 0 gray" |
Vacant
Leader of the Lords – 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston
Leader of the Commons – Austen Chamberlain 		21 March 1921 23 October 1922 [b]

Leaders of the Party (1922–present)

Leader
(Birth–Death) 		Portrait Constituency / Title Took office Left office Prime Minister (term)
Bonar Law
(1858–1923) 		Glasgow Central 23 October 1922
(Party meeting) 		28 May 1923 style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | himself
Stanley Baldwin
(1867–1947) 		Bewdley 28 May 1923
(Party meeting) 		31 May 1937 style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | himself 1923–24
style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | MacDonald 1924
style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | himself 1924–29
height=20 style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | MacDonald 1929–35
height=20 style="background-color: Template:National Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" |
style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | himself 1935–37
Neville Chamberlain
(1869–1940) 		File:Neville chamberlain1921.jpg Birmingham Edgbaston 31 May 1937
(Party meeting) 		9 October 1940 style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | himself 1937–40
rowspan="2" style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | Churchill 1940–45
Winston Churchill
(1874–1965) 		Epping
(1940–1945)
Woodford
(1945–1955) 		9 October 1940
(Party meeting) 		21 April 1955 himself 1940–45
style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | Attlee 1945–51
style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | himself 1951–55
Anthony Eden
(1897–1977) 		Warwick and Leamington 21 April 1955
(Party meeting) 		22 January 1957 style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | himself
Harold Macmillan
(1894–1986) 		Bromley 22 January 1957
(Party meeting) 		11 November 1963 style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | himself
Alec Douglas-Home
(1903–1995) 		Earl of Home
(1963)
Kinross and Western Perthshire
(1963–1965) 		11 November 1963
(Party meeting) 		27 July 1965 height=50 style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | himself 1963–64
height=50 style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color; border-bottom:solid 0 gray" | Wilson 1964–70
Edward Heath
(1916–2005) 		Edward Heath Bexley
(1965–1974)
Sidcup
(1974–1975) 		27 July 1965
(Elected) 		11 February 1975 height=20 style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color; border-top:solid 0 gray" |
style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | himself 1970–74
height=20 style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color; border-bottom:solid 0 gray" | Wilson 1974–76
Margaret Thatcher
(1925–2013) 		Finchley 11 February 1975
(Elected) 		28 November 1990 height=20 style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color; border-top:solid 0 gray" |
style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | Callaghan 1976–79
style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | herself 1979–90
John Major
(b. 1943) 		Huntingdon 28 November 1990
(Opponents withdrew) 		22 June 1995 style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | himself 1990–97
Vacant
Prime Minister – John Major 		22 June 1995 4 July 1995 style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | Major 1990–97
John Major
(b. 1943) 		Huntingdon 4 July 1995
(Re-elected) 		19 June 1997
height=50 style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | himself 1990–97
height=50 style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color; border-bottom:solid 0 gray" | Blair 1997–2007
William Hague
(b. 1961) 		Richmond (Yorks) 19 June 1997
(Elected) 		13 September 2001 rowspan="3" style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color; border-top:solid 0 gray; border-bottom:solid 0 gray" |
Iain Duncan Smith
(b. 1954) 		Chingford and Woodford Green 13 September 2001
(Elected) 		6 November 2003
Michael Howard
(b. 1941) 		Folkestone and Hythe 6 November 2003
(Unopposed) 		6 December 2005
David Cameron
(b. 1966) 		Witney 6 December 2005
(Elected) 		11 July 2016 height=20 style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color; border-top:solid 0 gray" |
style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | Brown 2007–10
style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | himself 2010–16
Theresa May
(b. 1956) 		File:Theresa May closeup.jpg Maidenhead 11 July 2016
(Opponents withdrew) 		23 July 2019 style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | herself 2016–19
Boris Johnson
(b. 1964) 		Uxbridge and South Ruislip 23 July 2019
(Elected) 		Present style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | himself 2019–

Living former party leaders

There are six living former party leaders. From oldest to youngest:

Leader Term of office Date of birth
Michael Howard 2003–2005 (1941-07-07) 7 July 1941 (age 83)
John Major 1990–1995 (1943-03-29) 29 March 1943 (age 81)
1995–1997
Iain Duncan Smith 2001–2003 (1954-04-09) 9 April 1954 (age 70)
Theresa May 2016–2019 (1956-10-01) 1 October 1956 (age 68)
William Hague 1997–2001 (1961-03-26) 26 March 1961 (age 63)
David Cameron 2005–2016 (1966-10-09) 9 October 1966 (age 58)

House of Lords and Commons leaders

See also: Leader of the House of Lords and Leader of the House of Commons

Leaders in the House of Lords (1834–present)

Those asterisked were considered the overall leader of the party.

Leaders in the House of Commons (1834–1922)

Those asterisked were considered the overall leader of the party.

Elections of Conservative leaders by party meeting

House of Commons

# Date of meeting Name of leader elected Category attending meeting Location of meeting Chair Proposer Seconder Refs
1 9 February 1848 The Marquess of Granby Protectionist commoners Residence of George Bankes — — — [3]
[4]
2 1 February 1849 Benjamin Disraeli — Residence of the Lord Stanley of Bickerstaffe — — — [5]
The Marquess of Granby
John Charles Herries
3 13 November 1911 Bonar Law Unionist Members of Parliament Carlton Club, Pall Mall Henry Chaplin, senior Privy Councillor on the Unionist benches (appointed 1885) Walter Long Austen Chamberlain [6]
4 21 March 1921 Austen Chamberlain Unionist Members of Parliament Carlton Club, Pall Mall Lord Edmund Talbot, Conservative Chief Whip Captain Ernest George Pretyman Sir Edward Coates: "a back bencher and one of the rank and file" [7]
5 23 October 1922 Bonar Law Unionist peers, MPs, and candidates Hotel Cecil, The Strand The Marquess Curzon of Kedleston, Leader of the House of Lords The Marquess Curzon of Kedleston Stanley Baldwin: "chosen ... to be the spokesman for the House of Commons" [8]
6 28 May 1923 Stanley Baldwin "Conservative Party" Hotel Cecil, The Strand The Marquess Curzon of Kedleston, Leader of the House of Lords The Earl of Derby Captain Ernest George Pretyman: "a member of the House of Commons who [had] been a colleague in that House of Mr Bonar Law for something over 25 years" [9]
7 31 May 1937 Neville Chamberlain "peers and MPs who receive the Conservative whip, ... prospective candidates who have been adopted by constituency associations, and ... members of the executive committee of the National Union of Conservative and Unionist associations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland." Caxton Hall, Caxton Street The Viscount Halifax, Leader of the House of Lords The Earl of Derby Winston Churchill (Privy Councillor since 1907) [10]
8 9 October 1940 Winston Churchill "Peers and MPs who receive the Conservative whip, ... prospective candidates who have been adopted by constituency associations, and ... members of the Executive Committee of the National Union of Conservative and Unionist Associations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland." London The Viscount Halifax, Leader of the House of Lords The Viscount Halifax Sir George Courthope: "one of the senior back benchers of the party" [11]
9 21 April 1955 Sir Anthony Eden "Conservative and National Liberal members of the two Houses of Parliament, Conservative and National Liberal parliamentary candidates and members of the executive committee of the National Union of Conservative and Unionist Associations" Church House, Dean's Yard, Westminster The Marquess of Salisbury, Leader of the House of Lords The Marquess of Salisbury Rab Butler (Privy Councillor since 1939) [12]
10 22 January 1957 Harold Macmillan "Conservative and Unionist members of the House of Lords and the House of Commons, ... prospective parliamentary candidates and ... members of the executive committee of the National Union of Conservative and Unionist Associations. National Liberal members of both Houses of Parliament and adopted prospective candidates were also present" — The Marquess of Salisbury, Leader of the House of Lords The Marquess of Salisbury Rab Butler (Privy Councillor since 1939) [13]
11 11 November 1963 Sir Alec Douglas-Home "members of both Houses of Parliament taking the Conservative whip, prospective candidates who [had] been adopted by constituency associations, members of the executive of the mass party, and National Liberal MPs and adopted prospective candidates" Church House, Dean's Yard, Westminster The Lord Carrington, Leader of the House of Lords The Lord Carrington Geoffrey Lloyd: "the senior Conservative Privy Councillor in the Commons next in line to Sir Winston Churchill" (appointed 1943) [14]

House of Lords

# Date of meeting Name of leader elected Category attending meeting Location of meeting Chair Proposer Seconder Notes
1 9 March 1846 The Lord Stanley of Bickerstaffe Peers Residence of the Duke of Richmond The Earl of Eglinton — — [15]
2 15 February 1869 The Earl Cairns 23 peers — The Earl of Malmesbury The Earl of Malmesbury — [16]
3 26 February 1870 The Duke of Richmond Peers Carlton Club — The Marquess of Salisbury The Earl of Derby [17]
4 9 May 1881 The Marquess of Salisbury Conservative members of the House of Lords Residence of the Marquess of Abergavenny The Marquess of Abergavenny The Duke of Richmond The Earl Cairns [18]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b Date of the Tamworth Manifesto.
  2. ^ a b c Date on which Law became Leader of the House of Commons.
  3. ^ Granby resigned "either in the end of December [1851] or on one of the first days of January [1852]".[2]
  4. ^ Date on which Balfour failed to be elected in Manchester East.

References

  1. ^ The Times, 17 June 1931
  2. ^ Monypenny, William Flavelle; Buckle, George Earle (1914). The life of Benjamin Disraeli, earl of Beaconsfield, Volume III. New York: The Macmillan Company. pp. 312–3.
  3. ^ "A Cabinet Council was held at half-past 2 o'clock." Times [London, England] 10 Feb. 1848: 4. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 25 July 2014.
  4. ^ Malmesbury, The Right Hon. [James Howard Harris,] the [3rd] Earl of (1885). Memoirs of an Ex-Minister. London: Longmans, Green, and Co. pp. 151–2.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  5. ^ Monypenny, William Flavelle; Buckle, George Earle (1914). The life of Benjamin Disraeli, earl of Beaconsfield, Volume III. New York: The Macmillan Company. pp. 138–9.
  6. ^ "The Unionist Leadership." Times [London, England] 14 Nov. 1911: 9. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 19 July 2014.
  7. ^ "Unionist M.P.s' New Leader." Times [London, England] 22 Mar. 1921: 12. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 19 July 2014.
  8. ^ "Unionists Elect Mr. Bonar Law." Times [London, England] 24 Oct. 1922: 18. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 25 July 2014.
  9. ^ "Conservative Leader." Times [London, England] 29 May 1923: 19. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 19 July 2014.
  10. ^ "The New Leader And The Old." Times [London, England] 1 June 1937: 17+. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 19 July 2014.
  11. ^ "Conservative Leader." Times [London, England] 10 Oct. 1940: 2. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 19 July 2014.
  12. ^ Our Political Correspondent. "Sir A. Eden as Leader." Times [London, England] 22 Apr. 1955: 12. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 19 July 2014.
  13. ^ "Mr. Macmillan states Party philosophy", The Times, London, 23 January 1957
  14. ^ Our Political Correspondent. (12 November 1963), "Prime Minister is Ageless", The Times, London, p. 12 {{citation}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  15. ^ Malmesbury, The Right Hon. [James Howard Harris,] the [3rd] Earl of (1885). Memoirs of an Ex-Minister. London: Longmans, Green, and Co. p. 124.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  16. ^ Malmesbury, The Right Hon. [James Howard Harris,] the [3rd] Earl of (1885). Memoirs of an Ex-Minister. London: Longmans, Green, and Co. p. 645.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  17. ^ "We are enabled to state that, in compliance with." Times [London, England] 28 Feb. 1870: 9. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 26 July 2014.
  18. ^ "Meeting Of The Conservative Peers." Times [London, England] 10 May 1881: 10. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 25 July 2014.
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