Leader of the Conservative Party (UK)

The Leader of the Conservative Party in the United Kingdom is the most senior politician of the Conservative Party. To date, two of the 28 leaders have been women: Baroness Thatcher (Margaret Thatcher) and Theresa May. The post is currently held by Boris Johnson, elected in 2019 as May's successor.

Leader of the Conservative Party
Incumbent Boris Johnson since 23 July 2019
Inaugural holder	Robert Peel (de facto) Bonar Law (de jure)
Formation	1834 (de facto) 1922 (de jure)

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[lower-alpha 1]	29 June 1846		himself 1834–35
						Melbourne 1835–41
						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		Russell 1846–52
						himself 1852
						Aberdeen 1852–55
						Palmerston 1855–58
						himself 1858–59
						Palmerston 1859–65
						Russell 1865–66
						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)		himself 1868
						Gladstone 1868–74
						himself 1874–80
						Gladstone 1880–85
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		himself 1885–86
						Gladstone 1886
						himself 1886–92
						Gladstone 1892–94
						Rosebery 1894–95
						himself 1895–1902
Arthur Balfour (1848–1930)		Manchester East (1902–1906) City of London (1906–1911)	11 July 1902	13 November 1911		himself 1902–05
						C.-Bannerman 1905–08
						Asquith 1908–16
Vacant Leader in the House of Lords – 5th Marquess of Lansdowne Leader in the House of Commons – Bonar Law			13 November 1911	10 December 1916[lower-alpha 2]
						Lloyd George 1916–22
Bonar Law (1858–1923)		Bootle (1916–1918) Glasgow Central (1918–1921)	10 December 1916[lower-alpha 2]	21 March 1921
Vacant Leader in the House of Lords – 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston Leader in the House of Commons – Austen Chamberlain			21 March 1921	23 October 1922 [lower-alpha 2]

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		himself
Stanley Baldwin (1867–1947)		Bewdley	28 May 1923 (Party meeting)	31 May 1937		himself 1923–24
						MacDonald 1924
						himself 1924–29
						MacDonald 1929–35
						himself 1935–37
Neville Chamberlain (1869–1940)		Birmingham Edgbaston	31 May 1937 (Party meeting)	9 October 1940		himself 1937–40
						Churchill 1940–45
Winston Churchill (1874–1965)		Epping (1940–1945) Woodford (1945–1955)	9 October 1940 (Party meeting)	21 April 1955		himself 1940–45
						Attlee 1945–51
						himself 1951–55
Anthony Eden (1897–1977)		Warwick and Leamington	21 April 1955 (Party meeting)	22 January 1957		himself
Harold Macmillan (1894–1986)		Bromley	22 January 1957 (Party meeting)	11 November 1963		himself
Alec Douglas-Home (1903–1995)		Earl of Home (1963) Kinross and Western Perthshire (1963–1965)	11 November 1963 (Party meeting)	27 July 1965		himself 1963–64
						Wilson 1964–70
Edward Heath (1916–2005)		Bexley (1965–1974) Sidcup (1974–1975)	27 July 1965 (Elected)	11 February 1975
						himself 1970–74
						Wilson 1974–76
Margaret Thatcher (1925–2013)		Finchley	11 February 1975 (Elected)	28 November 1990
						Callaghan 1976–79
						herself 1979–90
John Major (b. 1943)		Huntingdon	28 November 1990 (Opponents withdrew)	19 June 1997
						himself 1990–97
						Blair 1997–2007
William Hague (b. 1961)		Richmond (Yorks)	19 June 1997 (Elected)	13 September 2001
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
						Brown 2007–10
						himself 2010–16
Theresa May (b. 1956)		Maidenhead	11 July 2016 (Opponents withdrew)	23 July 2019		herself 2016–19
Boris Johnson (b. 1964)		Uxbridge and South Ruislip	23 July 2019 (Elected)	Present		himself 2019–present

Living former party leaders

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

Leader	Term of office	Date of birth
The Lord Howard of Lympne	2003–2005	(1941-07-07) 7 July 1941
Sir John Major	1990–1995	(1943-03-29) 29 March 1943
	1995–1997
Sir Iain Duncan Smith MP	2001–2003	(1954-04-09) 9 April 1954
Theresa May MP	2016–2019	(1956-10-01) 1 October 1956
The Lord Hague of Richmond	1997–2001	(1961-03-26) 26 March 1961
David Cameron	2005–2016	(1966-10-09) 9 October 1966

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.

• The Duke of Wellington: 1834–1846
• The Lord Stanley (14th Earl of Derby from 1851): 9 March 1846 – 27 February 1868*, elected at a party meeting (see § House of Lords, below)
• The Earl of Malmesbury: 1868–1869, appointed by Prime Minister Disraeli
• The Lord Cairns: 1869–1870, elected at a party meeting
• The Duke of Richmond: 1870 – 21 August 1876, elected at a party meeting
• The Earl of Beaconsfield: 21 August 1876 – 19 April 1881*, became Leader on elevation to the peerage
• The 3rd Marquess of Salisbury: 9 May 1881 – 1902, elected at a party meeting (overall leader from 1885)
• The Duke of Devonshire: 1902–1903, appointed by Prime Minister Balfour
• The Marquess of Lansdowne: 1903–1916, appointed by Prime Minister Balfour
• The Earl Curzon of Kedleston (1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston from 1921): 1916–1925, appointed Leader of the House by Prime Minister Lloyd George
• The 4th Marquess of Salisbury: 1925–1931, appointed by Prime Minister Baldwin
• The 1st Viscount Hailsham: 1931–1935, took over post "at the request of Mr Baldwin"[1]
• The Marquess of Londonderry: 1935
• The Viscount Halifax: 1935–1938
• The Earl Stanhope: 1938–1940
• The Viscount Caldecote: 1940
• The Viscount Halifax: 1940
• The Lord Lloyd: 1940–1941
• The Lord Moyne: 1941–1942
• Viscount Cranborne (born 1893) (5th Marquess of Salisbury from 1947): 1942–1957
• The Earl of Home: 1957–1960
• The 2nd Viscount Hailsham: 1960–1963
• The Lord Carrington: 1963–1970
• The Earl Jellicoe: 1970–1973
• The Lord Windlesham: 1973–1974
• The Lord Carrington: 1974–1979
• The Lord Soames: 1979–1981
• The Baroness Young: 1981–1983
• The Viscount Whitelaw: 1983–1988
• The Lord Belstead: 1988–1990
• The Lord Waddington: 1990–1992
• The Lord Wakeham: 1992–1994
• Viscount Cranborne (born 1946): 1994–1998
• The Lord Strathclyde: 1998–2013
• The Lord Hill of Oareford: 2013–2014
• The Baroness Stowell of Beeston: 2014–2016
• The Baroness Evans of Bowes Park: 2016–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[lower-alpha 1] – 1846*
• Lord George Bentinck: 1846–1847
• The Marquess of Granby: 9 February 1848 – 4 March 1848, elected at a party meeting (see § House of Commons, below)
• None: 1848–1849
• Jointly Benjamin Disraeli, the Marquess of Granby, and John Charles Herries: 1849–1852,[lower-alpha 3] elected at a party meeting
• 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 Beaconsfield
• Sir Michael Hicks Beach: 24 June 1885 – 3 August 1886, appointed by Prime Minister Salisbury
• Lord Randolph Churchill: 3 August 1886 – 14 January 1887, appointed by Prime Minister Salisbury
• William Henry Smith: 17 January 1887 – 6 October 1891, appointed by Prime Minister Salisbury
• Arthur Balfour: 1891 – 13 January 1906,[lower-alpha 4] appointed by Prime Minister Salisbury (overall leader from 1902)
• Joseph Chamberlain: 1906
• Arthur Balfour: 1906 – 13 November 1911*
• Bonar Law: 13 November 1911 – 21 March 1921, elected at a party meeting (overall leader from 1916)
• Austen Chamberlain: 21 March 1921 – 23 October 1922, elected at a party meeting

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	N/A	N/A	N/A	[3] [4]
2	1 February 1849	Benjamin Disraeli	N/A	Residence of the Lord Stanley of Bickerstaffe	N/A	N/A	N/A	[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"	N/A	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	N/A	N/A	[15]
2	15 February 1869	The Earl Cairns	23 peers	N/A	The Earl of Malmesbury	The Earl of Malmesbury	N/A	[16]
3	26 February 1870	The Duke of Richmond	Peers	Carlton Club	N/A	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

• 1922 Committee
• Deputy Leader of the Conservative Party (UK)
• Leader of the Labour Party (UK)
• Leader of the Liberal Democrats

Notes

1. Date of the Tamworth Manifesto.
2. 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.
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. Missing or empty |url= (help)
14. Our Political Correspondent. (12 November 1963). "Prime Minister is Ageless". The Times. London. p. 12. Missing or empty |url= (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.
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.
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.