David Cameron held the "top spot" in UK politics, serving as Prime Minister between 2010-2016. David Cameron's time as Prime Minister was notable for several reasons:
- Firstly, he led the Conservative party to victory in 2010, after the Labour government was in power for 13 years.
- Furthermore, he was leader of the first coalition government that the UK had seen in almost 70 years.
- It was under his leadership that the UK saw significant social change through legislation, such as the enactment of the Marriage (Same-Sex Couples) Act 2013.
Throughout this article, we will explore some of the key features and policies of David Cameron's leadership and consider how, as Prime Minister, he shaped the UK political system.
David Cameron Biography
David Cameron is a British politician who was the leader of the Conservative party and served as UK Prime Minister from 2010 to 2016.
Fig. 1 Prime Minister David Cameron's official photograph
Early career of David Cameron
After graduating from the University of Oxford, Cameron immediately began his career in politics, working at the Conservative Research Department.
While working for the research department Cameron worked for Margaret Thatcher and her successor John Major. After the Conservatives, unexpectedly, won the 1992 General Election, Cameron was promoted to the position of special advisor to Norman Lamont, the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Cameron then moved to the Home Office, before finally leaving to join a communications company for several years.
David Cameron: Election to Parliament
Cameron's political career moved quickly. He first became MP for Witney, Northwest London, in 2001. With his charisma and fresh ideas, he quickly gained attention and became the leader of the Conservative Party within four years. There were comparisons made between him and Tony Blair, who was the equivalent young charismatic leader of the Labour party. It was his speech at the 2005 October Conservative annual conference that propelled his popularity within the party.
David Cameron's 2005 Conservative Conference Speech
David Cameron's speech at the Conservative conference in 2005 was important because of its focus on "compassionate conservatism". Cameron focused on the importance of education stating that "aspiration is enabled by education". Additionally, Cameron advocated for "lower and simpler taxes". Finally, he recognised the need for the Conservative party "to change and modernise our culture and attitudes and identity".1
Later as Prime Minister, Cameron defined his ideological approach as a "One-Nation Conservative".
One nation conservatism:
A form of conservative ideology which advocates for the importance of a society working together as part of one nation.
David Cameron's Rise to Prime Minister
David Cameron was elected Prime Minister, following the 2010 General Election, as part of the coalition government alongside the Liberal Democrats. David Cameron remained Prime Minister following the 2015 General Election, in which the Conservative Party were able to form a government with a small majority.
David Cameron: Prime Minister
David Cameron led the Conservative Party to win two general elections and served as the UK Prime Minister for six years. Therefore, to take a closer look at Cameron's impact on the UK political system we will divide his premiership into two bite-sized chunks. Firstly, examining the key features of the 2010-2015 Coalition government, before considering Cameron's leadership between May 2015-July 2016 in the Conservative minority government.
2010 General Election: Coalition government
When David Cameron first became Prime Minister, in 2010, he was part of a coalition government between the Conservative Party and the Liberal Democrats.
Case study: 2010 General Election in the UK
In order for there to be a coalition government, there must be a hung parliament. This is where no single party is able to win a majority of seats in the House of Commons. In order for a government to form, a majority of parliamentary seats must be established. Therefore negotiations take place between parties to try to build a coalition.
During the 2010 election, no party gained the 326 parliamentary seats required to form a majority. The Conservative party gained the most votes with 306 seats, the Labour party had 258 and the Liberal Democrats had gained 57 votes. This was why it was necessary for the Conservative Party with the Liberal Democrats to form a coalition government.
On the 11th of May 2015, the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition agreement enabled the two parties to form a coalition government. This resulted in Liberal Democrat representation and influence throughout the UK Executive branch as the leader of the Liberal Democrats, Nick Clegg, served as Deputy Prime Minister, alongside five Liberal Democrat Cabinet members.
The responsibilities of leading a coalition government are cited to have influenced Cameron's approach as Prime Minister. In order to balance the policy interests of the two ruling parties, Cameron had to adopt a collaborative leadership style.
For instance, David Cameron incorporated meetings between influential Conservative and Liberal Democrat politicians, such as George Osborne, Danny Alexander and Nick Clegg. These key decision-makers in the coalition government were often referred to as the "Quad".
The position of leading a coalition government placed David Cameron in a unique position in the history of UK Prime Ministers. Below we will present some arguments which consider whether such a set of political circumstances limited Cameron's power as Prime Minister between 2010-2015.
David Cameron was limited in his power: | David Cameron was not limited in his power: |
By its very nature a coalition government would force Cameron to adopt a more collective style of government with policies proposed requiring the consent of both parties. | The objective of the coalition government was to gain a majority for Cameron and this was achieved with a majority of 38. Cameron's large majority, therefore, meant that he was able to pass his legislation with relative ease. |
The Coalition Agreement for Stability and Reform was a document, agreed to both by the Conservative Party and The Liberal Democrats, outlining how they expected to collectively run the government. In this document, it was agreed upon that the cabinet would have ministers from the Liberal Democrats. More importantly, these ministers were not subject to be reshuffled or removed from the cabinet by David Cameron himself. | Cameron used 'the quad' extensively to help make decisions. The relationship between David Cameron, Nick Clegg, George Osbourne and Danny Alexander was strong, politically. Therefore, in reality, there was little tension between the leaders of both parties. |
The role of Liberal Democrat ministers in the cabinet meant that they were holding Cameron accountable in remaining loyal to the coalition agreement drawn up. The nature of a coalition government also meant that Cameron was not only subject to opposition within his party but also that he would have to deal with tensions between both parties when there was a lack of agreement on policy direction. | Cameron retained his powers of patronage this refers to the ability to hire and fire/make appointments. |
2015 General Election, Conservative majority government
Following the 2015 General Election, the Conservative Party, led by David Cameron, won with a majority of 12 seats in the House of Commons. In theory, this gave Cameron the power to act with greater authority with a stand-alone Conservative Executive and a small majority within the House of Commons.
However, in practice, despite a Conservative majority government, Cameron's leadership continued to be challenged by fractures within the parliamentary party. A significant and divisive policy issue within the Conservative Party concerned the UK's membership in the European Union. Consequently, the European Union Membership Referendum came to dominate Cameron's second term as Prime Minister, dividing Parliament and causing long-term effects across the political and cultural landscape of the UK.
EU Membership Referendum
It was in 2013 that David Cameron stated that it was time for the UK people to decide on UK membership within the European Union:
If we left the European Union, it would be a one-way ticket, not a return. So we will have time for a proper, reasoned debate. At the end of that debate you, the British people, will decide. 2
Subsequently, on 23rd June 2016, a referendum was put to the British electorate:
Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union or leave the European Union?
Referendum
A form of direct democracy which allows members of an electorate to vote on a specific political issue.
Fig. 2 UK leaves the EU
As a self-declared "remainer", Cameron had vocally supported continued UK membership in the EU. Therefore, following the results of the referendum, which declared a 52 % majority to leave the European Union, Cameron's political position fell out of step with the British electorate.
Remainer
An individual who supported the view that the UK should remain within the European Union.
David Cameron resignation
Political commentators cite Cameron's role in instigating the EU referendum as his biggest failure in office and, ultimately, led to his resignation. As a "remainer", Cameron was perceived to be incompatible with the political position of the UK electorate and unsuitable to lead the UK as it began the process of leaving the European Union- a process commonly referred to as "Brexit".
Fig. 3 David Cameron announces his resignation as Prime Minister
Therefore, David Cameron resigned as Prime Minister and leader of the Conservative Party on the 24th of June 2016. Theresa May filled the position as UK Prime Minister. A few months later, on 12th September 2016, he resigned as a Member of Parliament.
David Cameron: Key Policies
David Cameron's legacy was shaped by a number of key policies which have continued to influence the political culture of the UK. Below we will explore three examples in greater depth.
Marriage (Same-Sex Couples) Act 2013
David Cameron described his ideology as being "modern compassionate conservatism"4, a departure from Thatcherism which had dominated the ideological direction of the Conservative Party. As Prime Minister, Cameron began to propose policies concerning key social issues such as the environment, gay rights and families in poverty.
An example of this can be seen in the Marriage (Same-Sex Couples) Act 2013.
The bill was passed in 2013 and when resigning Cameron stated one of the proudest moments of his premiership was "enabling those who love each other to get married whatever their sexuality”5.
Increasing student fees
During the coalition government, a hugely controversial issue was the raising of tuition fees in the UK. In 2010, the cost of university tuition fees were £3,000 a year. However, under the coalition government, tuition fees were increased to £9,000 a year for students. This was particularly controversial because the Liberal Democrats received huge support from young people, during the 2010 general election, on the basis that they would abolish tuition fees.
2010 United Kingdom student protests
The increase in student fees met significant public opposition. Between November-December 2010 protests opposing the increase in tuition fees took place across the country. One of the most significant protests took place on 10th November 2010, with over 30,000 protesters taking to the streets of central London.
UK Government Austerity Programme
For Cameron, the economy and improving its position following the 2008/9 global financial crisis was a key priority.
In 2013 Cameron and Chancellor George Osbourne enacted the UK Government Austerity Programme, aiming to eliminate the UK budget deficit and decrease national debt as a percentage of GDP.
Austerity itself refers to strict economic policies that are implemented by the government to control growing public debt. The UK Government Austerity Programme reduced public spending in areas related to welfare spending, schools building programmes, local government funding and police spending.
The severity of these measures can be highly controversial, owing to their long-term impacts. For example, according to Oxfam austerity is responsible for huge economic inequality as the poorest tenth of the population saw a 38 per cent decrease in their net income over the period 2010-156.
David Cameron - Key takeaways
- David Cameron was a British politician who was the leader of the Conservative party and served as Prime Minister from 2010 to 2016.
- He led the Conservative party to victory after the Labour government was in power for 13 years.
- He was part of the first coalition government that the UK had seen in almost 70 years with the Liberal Democrats.
- Some of the key positive legislative changes under Cameron were the legalisation of same-sex marriage andUK Government Austerity Programme.
- However, he is criticised for his role in the Libyan conflict, his role in the Brexit referendum and his role in increasing student loans.
References
- D. Cameron, Full text: David Cameron's speech to the Conservative conference 2005, The Guardian, 4 Oct 2005
- D. Cameron, Cameron's EU speech - full text, The Guardian, 23 Jan 2013
- Cameron resigns June 2016, Tom Evans, OGL v3.0, Via Wikimedia Commons
- D. Cameron, Full text: David Cameron's speech to the Conservative conference 2005, The Guardian, 4 Oct 2005
- D. Cameron, David Cameron's departing words as Prime Minister, Government Website, 13 July
- Oxfam, The True Cost of Austerity and Inequality: UK Case Study, September 2013
- Fig. 1 Prime Minister David Cameron's official photograph (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Prime_Minister_David_Cameron_-_official_photograph_(8947770804).jpg) by Number 10 (https://www.flickr.com/people/49707497@N06) licensed by CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en) on Wikimedia Commons.
- Fig. 2 EU Austritt (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:EU-Austritt_(47521165961).jpg) by Tim Reckmann (https://www.flickr.com/people/115225894@N07) licensed by CC-BY-2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en) on Wikimedia Commons.
- Fig. 3 David Cameron announces his resignation as Prime Minister (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:David_Cameron_announces_resignation.jpg) by Tom Evans (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/feature/image/45053/david_cameron.png) licensed by OGL v3.0 (https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/) on Wikimedia Commons
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