Leader of the Conservative Party

The Leader of the Conservative Party is the most senior politician within the Conservative Party in the United Kingdom. The post is currently held by David Cameron, who succeeded Michael Howard in 2005, and who has also been the serving Prime Minister since 2010.

Background
Until 1922, there was no formal "Leader of the Conservative Party". There was a leader of the Conservative party in each of the two Houses, and they were regarded as equal unless one of them was either the Prime Minister or a former Prime Minister, or if a particular crisis (as in 1846–1847 or 1916) had resulted in one clearly asserting authority over the other. In the periods when this was not the case (1881–1885, 1911–1916, 1921–1922) there was no clear "Leader of the Conservative Party" — this contributed to some of the internal party conflict at the time. The distinction of the leaders is often overlooked by many and there are lists in circulation that assume the eventual single leader who emerged after a period of equal leadership was the leader from the outset. However this was not always the case — for example in 1881 it was widely expected that the Commons leader Sir Stafford Northcote would be the next Conservative Prime Minister, but by the time the party had returned to government in 1885 political developments had resulted in the Lords leader Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury having the stronger claim for the premiership.

When the Parliament Act 1911 reduced the power of the Lords, it seemed likely that the leader in the Commons would be preeminent. But that was not formally recognised for another eleven years, and there were several occasions when members of the Lords were strongly considered for the leadership of the whole party after this time. Since 1922 an overall leader has been formally elected by a joint meeting of MPs, peers, and prospective parliamentary candidates, even when the party is in opposition. Until 1965 this election was a rubber-stamp for the individual who had already been asked by the monarch to form a government; the leadership did not fall Vacant at any time when the party was in opposition during this period. Since 1965 a succession of ballots have been held in to choose between competing candidates. This was instigated by Alec Douglas-Home in 1964 after the confused circumstances of his own elevation in 1963.

Leaders in the House of Lords 1834–present
Those asterisked were considered the overall leader of the party.


 * Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington 1834–1846
 * Edward Smith-Stanley, 1st Baron Stanley (14th Earl of Derby from 1851) 9 March 1846–27 February 1868* - elected at a party meeting - see below
 * James Howard Harris, 3rd Earl of Malmesbury 1868–1869 - appointed by Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli MP
 * Hugh Cairns, 1st Baron Cairns 1869–1870 - elected at a party meeting - see below
 * Charles Gordon-Lennox, 6th Duke of Richmond 1870–21 August 1876 - elected at a party meeting - see below
 * Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield 21 August 1876–19 April 1881* - became Leader on elevation to the peerage
 * Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury 9 May 1881–1902 - elected at a party meeting - see below (overall leader from 1885)
 * Spencer Cavendish, 8th Duke of Devonshire 1902–1903 - appointed by Prime Minister Arthur Balfour MP
 * Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice, 5th Marquess of Lansdowne 1903–1916 - appointed by Prime Minister Arthur Balfour MP
 * George Nathaniel Curzon, 1st Earl Curzon of Kedleston (1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston from 1921) 1916–1925 - appointed Leader of the House by Prime Minister David Lloyd George MP
 * James Gascoyne-Cecil, 4th Marquess of Salisbury 1925–1931 - appointed by Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin MP
 * Douglas Hogg, 1st Viscount Hailsham 1931–1935 - took over post 'at the request of Mr Baldwin'
 * Charles Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 7th Marquess of Londonderry 1935
 * E. F. L. Wood, 3rd Viscount Halifax 1935–1938
 * James Stanhope, 7th Earl Stanhope 1938–1940
 * Thomas Inskip, 1st Viscount Caldecote 1940
 * E. F. L. Wood, 3rd Viscount Halifax 1940
 * George Lloyd, 1st Baron Lloyd 1940–1941
 * Walter Guinness, 1st Baron Moyne 1941–1942
 * Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, Viscount Cranborne (5th Marquess of Salisbury from 1947) 1942–1957
 * Alec Douglas-Home, 14th Earl of Home 1957–1960
 * Quintin Hogg, 2nd Viscount Hailsham 1960–1963
 * Peter Carington, 6th Baron Carrington 1963–1970
 * George Jellicoe, 2nd Earl Jellicoe 1970–1973
 * David Hennessy, 3rd Baron Windlesham 1973–1974
 * Peter Carington, 6th Baron Carrington 1974–1979
 * Christopher Soames, Baron Soames 1979–1981
 * Janet Young, Baroness Young 1981–1983
 * William Whitelaw, 1st Viscount Whitelaw 1983–1988
 * John Ganzoni, 2nd Baron Belstead 1988–1990
 * David Waddington, Baron Waddington 1990–1992
 * John Wakeham, Baron Wakeham 1992–1994
 * Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, Viscount Cranborne 1994–1998
 * Thomas Galbraith, 2nd Baron Strathclyde 1998–2013
 * Jonathan Hill, Baron Hill of Oareford 2013–2014
 * Tina Stowell, Baroness Stowell of Beeston 2014-present

Leaders in the House of Commons 1834–1922
Those asterisked were considered the overall leader of the party.


 * Sir Robert Peel 18 December 1834 –1846*
 * Lord George Bentinck 1846–1847
 * Charles Manners, Marquess of Granby 9 February 1848 - 4 March 1848 - elected at a party meeting - see below
 * None 1848–1849
 * Jointly Benjamin Disraeli, Charles Manners, Marquess of Granby and John Charles Herries 1849–1852 - elected at a party meeting - see below
 * Benjamin Disraeli 1852–21 August 1876 (overall leader from 27 February 1868)
 * Sir Stafford Northcote 21 August 1876–24 June 1885 - appointed by Prime Minister the Earl of Beaconsfield
 * Sir Michael Hicks Beach 24 June 1885–3 August 1886 - appointed by Prime Minister the Marquess of Salisbury
 * Lord Randolph Churchill 3 August 1886–14 January 1887 - appointed by Prime Minister the Marquess of Salisbury
 * William Henry Smith 17 January 1887–6 October 1891 - appointed by Prime Minister the Marquess of Salisbury
 * Arthur Balfour 1891–13 January 1906 - appointed by Prime Minister the Marquess of Salisbury - (overall leader from 1902)
 * Joseph Chamberlain 1906
 * Arthur Balfour 1906–13 November 1911*
 * Andrew Bonar Law 13 November 1911–21 March 1921 - elected at a party meeting - see below (overall leader from 1916)
 * Austen Chamberlain 21 March 1921–23 October 1922 - elected at a party meeting - see below