David Cameron's premiership

2010-2016

key events during Cameron’s premiership-same-sex marriage

gay marriage vote-21 May 2013

Mps voted to legalise same-sex marriages in England and Wales- Marriage (Same-sex couples) Act 2013 was passed

key events during Cameron’s premiership- spending cuts

sought to reduce the large deficit in government finances through austerity measures

£540 billion less public spending between 2010-2019

key events during Cameron’s premiership-Scottish independence

aimed to persuade Scottish voters to reject a referendum on independence from the UK

then won an outrght majority in 2015 election

key events during Cameron’s premiership- EU

when British voters chose to leave the EU in 2016 referendum, he resigned as party leader and PM- he strongly opposed to leave

key events during Cameron’s premiersip-Syria

motion to participate in military strikes against the Syrian government was defeated in parliament in 2023

first time that a British government was blocked from taking military action by parliament

Cameron’s economic policies- taxation

• maintained an instinct to reduce taxation

• reduce the role and size of state and replace many public sector providers with private sector enteprises

• issued a nationwide programme of austerity-however the health service and education were protected from this

was Cameron a unionist or nationalist?

unionist-opposed Scottish independence

evidence of Cameron in control

• led a coalition govt and then won 2015 electtion outright

• preserved the commitment that Britain should devote at least 0.7% of its national income to overseas aid, even with right wing opposition

evidence of Cameron losing control

• w/o a decisive parliamentary majoirty, he was always in a fragile position

  • maybe wouldnt have needed to take actions like EU referendum if he had higher support

• intra-party devisions became more and more prominent as his premiership progressed

relationship with his cabinet

• adopted a more colloquial approach than Thatcher

• coalition constrained his powers of patronage and ability to dictate policy

• negotiation required between conservative and LD ministers

• key decision were taken in bilateral meetings between Cameron/Clegg and the ‘Quad’ (Clegg, Osborne and Danny Alexander)