david cameron (2010-2016)

timeline:

• born – 9th october 1966 ​

• Schooling – eton, oxford studying politics, philosophy and economics​

• 2001-2016 – MP for Witney ​

• 2005-2016  - leader of conservative party ​

• 2005-2010 – leader of opposition​

• 2010 – 2016 –prime minister ​

• 2023 – lord cameron foreign secretary and enters house of lords

how did he become pm?

• After graduating, he joined the conservative research department under margaret thatcher and then john thatcher​

• He was then  appointed a special adviser in the government – treasury and then home office​

• Joined media company Carlton Communications,, working for 7 years, partly on the management board .​

• Became MP for Witney – within 4 years elected as conservative leader ​

• Remodelled conservative party – new and distinct agenda​

• Shifted to more  of a social liberal demographic​

2010 & 2015 election:

main events:

• referendums:

  • Held more referendums than any other prime minister ​

  • Opposed his deputy PM’s bids in some referendums​

  • Scottish independence referendum: had to cancel PMQs

• History-making conservative:: 2010​

  • Led conservatives to first victory in 13 years in 2010​

  • Leader of the first coalition government in the UK in almost 70 years​

• Libya : 20th october 2011​

  • first and one of most disastrous foreign policy intervention.​

  • Pushed Barack Obama to help rebel fighters attempting to topple Colonel Gaddafi and help impose a no fly zone.​

  • Greeted as a hero after Gaddafi has been ousted, pledged to not allow libya ‘ turn into another iraq’

• Tuition fees: 2012​

  • Increased university tuition fees by 200% ​

  • Originally: £3000​

  • Increased to: £9000​

• Gay marriage vote – 21st may 2023​

  • MPs voted to allow same sex couples in england and wales to marry​

  • Sent powerful signal to the country​

  • ‘kind of tolerant, inclusive britain’​

  • Lost support ​

• Syria commons vote:29th august 2013 ​

  • First PM in over 100 years to lose commons military vote​

  • Believed britain should take part in air strikes against regime of syrian president 

• EU referendum vote: 2015 ​

  • Rejected calls from own MPs on matter for years​

  • leadership campaign for the 2015 election - announced in January 2023 that he would hold a referendum if re-elected​

  • Insisted he would stay prime minister no matter what, but resigned within hours of results ​

  • Vote that got him elected but also ended his run as prime minister 

key policies:

• Programme of austerity​

• Marriage act 2013  ​

• Promotion of devolution​

• Reduction of taxes​

• Targeted reductions​

• Pre-school childcare​

• Minimum wage​

• University tuition fees​

• EU membership referendum​

• Introduced the A-List – helped to increase number of female and ethnic minority MPs

relationship with wider parliament:

• 2005: party disjointed and demoralised ​

• Still divided, limiting ability to become a dominant leader​

• United the government over the need for a programme of austerity after the 2008 financial crisis​

• Much divide in his party over the UK’s relationship with the EU​

• Many didn’t agree with his decisions in Libya, thinking he lacked clarity in his plan, causing more discourse ​

• Slightly awkward after accusations of lobbying​

• Now, as foreign secretary:​

• Returning as a lord into the House of lords , rather than in cabinet ​

• Restricts relationship with other MPs​

• Had a peer in his own cabinet – Baroness Warsi ​

• Wont be able to be held to account or scrutiny – role in the government?– causes awkwardness between him and other mps.​

control:

• Cameron had some control​

• Things that suggested he did include:​

• Despite being in a coalition, Cameron was largely able to dominate the Cabinet and follow his own agenda​

• Cameron was able to implement sweeping ‘austerity’ measures to deal with the growing national debt ​

• Having agreed to hold a Brexit referendum, he was able to force that through Parliament ​

• He was able to campaign and ‘win’ the Scottish independence referendum in 2014 through personal persuasion and media appearances ​

• He was able to push through same-sex marriage in Parliament, despite some opposition within his own party

what led to their downfall?

• He underestimated Boris Johnson and the popularity of Brexit​

• He was unable to remove the Lib Dem Cabinet members who criticised him, like Vince Cable ​

• The global financial crisis that started in 2008 and would lead to a crisis in the eurozone dominated the financial decisions he could make and limited his options​

• The fact that he had to call the referendum showed his inability to control the Eurosceptic wing of his party and the growing threat of UKIP​

• Cameron had opposed a Scottish independence referendum, but political pressure from the devolved Scottish Parliament forced him to grant it​

• He failed to get parliamentary support for his planned intervention in Syria

legacy:

• Cameron’s legacy is overshadowed by the vote to leave the EU as a result of his failings to negotiate an adequate agreement with the EU​

• He’s also infamous for his program of austerity, which meant there were higher taxes and public spending was reduced, this was done to reduce the government’s financial deficit but left public realm 

well