A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime minister is the presiding member and chairman of the cabinet. In a minority of systems, notably in semi-presidential systems of government, a prime minister is the official who is appointed to manage the civil service and execute the directives of the head of state.

In parliamentary systems fashioned after the Westminster system, the prime minister is the presiding and actual head of the government and head of the executive branch. In such systems, the head of state or the head of state's official representative (i.e. the monarch, president, or governor-general) usually holds a largely ceremonial position, although often with reserve powers.

The prime minister is often, but not always, a member of parliament and is expected with other ministers to ensure the passage of bills through the legislature. In some monarchies the monarch may also exercise executive powers (known as the royal prerogative) which are constitutionally vested in the crown and may be exercised without the approval of parliament.

As well as being head of government, a prime minister may have other roles or titles—the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, for example, is also First Lord of the Treasury and Minister for the Civil Service.^[1] Prime ministers may take other ministerial posts—for example during the Second World War, Winston Churchill was also Minister of Defence (although there was then no Ministry of Defence).

Etymology[link]

The prime ministers of five members of the Commonwealth of Nations at the 1944 Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference.

The first actual usage of the term prime minister or Premier Ministre was used by Cardinal Richelieu when in 1625 he was named to head the royal council as prime minister of France. Louis XIV and his descendants generally attempted to avoid giving this title to their chief ministers. The term prime minister in the sense that we know it originated in the 18th century in the United Kingdom.^{[citation needed]}

History[link]

Since medieval times monarchs of England and the United Kingdom had ministers in whom they placed special trust and who were regarded as the head of the government. Examples were Thomas Cromwell under Henry VIII; William Cecil, Lord Burghley under Elizabeth I; Clarendon under Charles II and Godolphin under Queen Anne. These ministers held a variety of formal posts, but were commonly known as "the minister", the "chief minister", the "first minister" and finally the "prime minister".

The power of these ministers depended entirely on the personal favour of the monarch. Although managing the parliament was among the necessary skills of holding high office, they did not depend on a parliamentary majority for their power. Although there was a cabinet, it was appointed entirely by the monarch, and the monarch usually presided over its meetings.

When the monarch grew tired of a first minister, he or she could be dismissed, or worse: Cromwell was executed and Clarendon driven into exile when they lost favour. Kings sometimes divided power equally between two or more ministers to prevent one minister from becoming too powerful. Late in Anne's reign, for example, the Tory ministers Harley and St John shared power.

Post-English Civil War (1642–1651)[link]

In the mid 17th century, after the English Civil War and the Protectorate, Parliament had strengthened its position and it emerged even more powerful after the Glorious Revolution of 1688. The monarch could not establish any law or impose any tax without its permission. Thus it has been said that the House of Commons became a part of the government and it has been only a further step of this development that a new kind of prime minister should emerge.

This turning point in the evolution of the prime ministership came with the death of Anne in 1714 and the accession of George I. George spoke no English, spent much of his time at his home in Hanover, and had neither knowledge of nor interest in the details of English government. In these circumstances it was inevitable that the king's first minister would become the de facto head of the government.

From 1721 this was the Whig politician Robert Walpole, who held office for twenty-one years. Walpole chaired cabinet meetings, appointed all the other ministers, dispensed the royal patronage and packed the House of Commons with his supporters. Under Walpole, the doctrine of cabinet solidarity developed. Walpole required that no minister other than himself have private dealings with the king, and also that when the cabinet had agreed on a policy, all ministers must defend it in public or resign. As a later prime minister, Lord Melbourne, said: "It matters not what we say, gentlemen, so long as we all say the same thing."

Walpole always denied that he was "prime minister", and throughout the 18th century parliamentarians and legal scholars continued to deny that any such position was known to the Constitution. The title was first referred to on government documents during the administration of Benjamin Disraeli but did not appear in the formal British Order of precedence until 1905. George II and George III made strenuous efforts to reclaim the personal power of the monarch, but the increasing complexity and expense of government meant that a minister who could command the loyalty of the Commons was increasingly necessary. The long tenure of the wartime Prime Minister Pitt the Younger (1783–1801), combined with the mental illness of George III, consolidated the power of the post.

The prestige of British institutions in the 19th century and the growth of the British Empire saw the British model of cabinet government, headed by a prime minister, widely copied, both in other European countries and in British colonial territories as they developed self-government. In some places alternative titles such as "premier", "chief minister", "first minister of state", "president of the council" or "chancellor" were adopted, but the essentials of the office were the same.

By the late 20th century the majority of the world's countries had a prime minister or equivalent minister, holding office under either a constitutional monarchy or a ceremonial president. The main exceptions to this system have been the United States and the presidential republics in Latin America, modelled on the U.S. system, in which the president directly exercises executive authority.

Bahrain's Prime Minister, Sheikh Khalifah bin Sulman Al Khalifah has been in the post since 1971, making him the longest serving non-elected Prime Minister.

Prime ministers in republics and in monarchies[link] The post of prime minister may be encountered both in constitutional monarchies (such as Belgium, Denmark, Japan, the Netherlands, Indonesia, Norway, Malaysia, Morocco, Spain,[2] Sweden, Thailand, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom), and in parliamentary republics in which the head of state is an elected official (such as Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Italy, Ireland, Pakistan, Portugal, Montenegro, Croatia, Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia and Turkey). This contrasts with the presidential system, in which the president (or equivalent) is both the head of state and the head of the government. See also "First Minister", "Premier", "Chief Minister", "Chancellor", "Taoiseach" and "Secretary of State": alternative titles usually equivalent in meaning to, or translated as, "prime minister". The head of government of the People's Republic of China is referred to as the Premier. In some presidential or semi-presidential systems, such as those of France, Russia or South Korea, the prime minister is an official generally appointed by the president but usually approved by the legislature and responsible for carrying out the directives of the president and managing the civil service. (The premier of the Republic of China is also appointed by the president, but requires no approval by the legislature. Appointment of the prime minister of France requires no approval by the parliament either, but the parliament may force the resignation of the government. In these systems, it is possible for the president and the prime minister to be from different political parties if the legislature is controlled by a party different from that of the president. When it arises, such a state of affairs is usually referred to as (political) cohabitation. Entry into Office[link] In parliamentary systems a prime minister may enter into office by several means. By appointment by the head of state, without reference to parliament: While in practice most prime ministers under the Westminster system (including Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Malaysia, India and the United Kingdom) are the leaders of the largest party in parliament, technically the appointment of the prime minister is a royal prerogative exercised by the monarch or the governor-general. In India, the Prime Ministerial candidate must be a member of parliament either Lok Sabha (Lower House) or Rajya Sabha (Upper House). No parliamentary vote takes place on who is forming a government. However as the government will have to outline its legislative programme to parliament in, for example, the Speech from the Throne, the speech is sometimes used to test parliamentary support. A defeat of the Speech is taken to mean a loss of confidence and so requires either a new draft, resignation, or a request for a dissolution of parliament. Until the early 20th century governments when defeated in a general election remained in power until their Speech from the Throne was defeated and then resigned. No government has done so for one hundred years, though Edward Heath in 1974 did delay his resignation while he explored whether he could form a government with Liberal party support. In such systems unwritten (and unenforceable) constitutional conventions often outline the order in which people are asked to form a government. If the prime minister resigns after a general election, the monarch usually asks the leader of the opposition to form a government. Where however a resignation occurs during a parliament session (unless the government has itself collapsed) the monarch will ask another member of the government to form a government. While previously the monarch had some leeway in whom to ask, all British political parties now elect their leaders (until 1965 the Conservatives chose their leader by informal consultation). The last time the monarch had a choice over the appointment occurred in 1963 when the Earl of Home was asked to become Prime Minister ahead of Rab Butler. During the period between the time it is clear that the incumbent government has been defeated at a general election, and the actual swearing-in of the new prime minister by the monarch or governor-general, that person is variously referred to as the "prime minister-elect", "...-designate" etc. Neither term is strictly correct from a constitutional point of view, but they have wide acceptance. In a situation in which a ruling party elects or appoints a new leader, the incoming leader will usually be referred as "prime minister-in-waiting". An example or this situation was in 2003 in Canada when Paul Martin was elected leader of the Liberal Party of Canada while Jean Chrétien was still prime minister. Appointment by the head of state after parliament nominates a candidate: Example: The Republic of Ireland where the President of Ireland appoints the Taoiseach on the nomination of the Dáil Éireann. The head of state nominates a candidate for prime minister who is then submitted to parliament for approval before appointment as prime minister: Example: Spain, where the King sends a nomination to parliament for approval. Also Germany where under the German Basic Law (constitution) the Bundestag votes on a candidate nominated by the federal president. In these cases, parliament can choose another candidate who then would be appointed by the head of state. The head of state appoints a prime minister who has a set timescale within which s/he must gain a vote of confidence: (Example: Italy, Romania, Thailand) The head of state appoints the leader of the political party with the majority of the votes in the Parliament as Prime Minister: (Example: Greece) Direct election by parliament: (Example: Japan, Papua New Guinea, Pakistan.) Direct election by popular vote: (Example: Israel, 1996–2001, where the prime minister was elected in a general election, with no regard to political affiliation.) Nomination by a state office holder other than the head of state or his/her representative: (Example: Under the modern Swedish Instrument of Government, the power to appoint someone to form a government has been moved from the monarch to the Speaker of Parliament and the parliament itself. The speaker nominates a candidate, who is then elected to prime minister (statsminister) by the parliament if an absolute majority of the members of parliament does not vote no (i.e. he can be elected even if more MP:s vote no than yes). Prime ministers and constitutions[link] The position, power and status of prime ministers differ depending on the age of the constitution. Australia's constitution makes no mention of a Prime Minister of Australia. Bangladesh's constitution clearly outlines the functions and powers of the Prime Minister, and also details the process of his/her appointment and dismissal. The People's Republic of China constitution set a premier just one place below the president of the PRC. While the president deals with international problems, the premier deals with national problems. For example, the earth quake in 2008, the premier will be the first to arrive, then the president arrived after to just examine the situation. Premier read as (Simplified Chinese: 总理; pinyin: Zŏnglĭ) in Chinese. Canada's constitution, being a 'mixed' or hybrid constitution (a constitution that is partly formally codified and partly uncodified) originally did not make any reference whatsoever to a prime minister, with her or his specific duties and method of appointment instead dictated by "convention". In the Constitution Act, 1982, passing reference to a "Prime Minister of Canada" is added, though only regarding the composition of conferences of federal and provincial first ministers. Germany's Basic Law (1949) lists the powers, functions and duties of the federal chancellor. Greece's constitution (1975) lists the powers, functions and duties of the Prime Minister of Greece. India's constitution (1950) lists the powers, functions and duties of the Prime Minister of India. Ireland's constitution (1937), provides for the office of Taoiseach in detail, listing powers, functions and duties. Italy's constitution (1948) lists the powers, functions and duties of the Prime Minister of Italy. Japan's constitution (1946) lists the powers, functions and duties of the Prime Minister of Japan. Malta's constitution (1964) lists the powers, functions and duties of the Prime Minister of Malta. Malaysia's constitution (1957) lists the powers, functions and duties of the Prime Minister of Malaysia. Pakistan's constitution (1973) lists the powers, functions and duties of the Prime Minister of Pakistan. Spain's constitution (1978) regulates the appointment, dismissal, powers, functions and duties of the President of the Government. Thailand's constitution (1932) lists the powers, functions and duties of the Prime Minister of Thailand. The United Kingdom's constitution, being uncodified and largely unwritten, makes no mention of a prime minister. Though it had de facto existed for centuries, its first mention in official state documents did not occur until the first decade of the twentieth century. Accordingly, it is often said "not to exist", indeed there are several instances of parliament declaring this to be the case. The prime minister sits in the cabinet solely by virtue of occupying another office, either First Lord of the Treasury (office in commission), or more rarely Chancellor of the Exchequer (the last of whom was Balfour in 1905). Exit from office[link] Most prime ministers in parliamentary systems are not appointed for a specific term in office and in effect may remain in power through a number of elections and parliaments. For example, Margaret Thatcher was only ever appointed prime minister on one occasion, in 1979. She remained continuously in power until 1990, though she used the assembly of each House of Commons after a general election to reshuffle her cabinet. Some states, however, do have a term of office of the prime minister linked to the period in office of the parliament. Hence the Irish Taoiseach is formally 'renominated' after every general election. (Some constitutional experts have questioned whether this process is actually in keeping with the provisions of the Irish constitution, which appear to suggest that a taoiseach should remain in office, without the requirement of a renomination, unless s/he has clearly lost the general election.) The position of prime minister is normally chosen from the political party that commands majority of seats in the lower house of parliament. In parliamentary systems, governments are generally required to have the confidence of the lower house of parliament (though a small minority of parliaments, by giving a right to block supply to upper houses, in effect make the cabinet responsible to both houses, though in reality upper houses, even when they have the power, rarely exercise it). Where they lose a vote of confidence, have a motion of no confidence passed against them, or where they lose supply, most constitutional systems require either: a) a letter of resignation or b) a request for parliamentary dissolution. The latter in effect allows the government to appeal the opposition of parliament to the electorate. However in many jurisdictions a head of state may refuse a parliamentary dissolution, requiring the resignation of the prime minister and his or her government. In most modern parliamentary systems, the prime minister is the person who decides when to request a parliamentary dissolution. Older constitutions often vest this power in the cabinet. (In the United Kingdom, for example, the tradition whereby it is the prime minister who requests a dissolution of parliament dates back to 1918. Prior to then, it was the entire government that made the request. Similarly, though the modern 1937 Irish constitution grants to the Taoiseach the right to make the request, the earlier 1922 Irish Free State Constitution vested the power in the Executive Council (the then name for the Irish cabinet). Titles[link] Different terms are used to describe prime ministers. In Germany and Austria the prime minister is actually titled Federal Chancellor (Bundeskanzler). In the Russian constitution the prime minister is actually titled Chairman of the government while the Irish prime minister is called the Taoiseach (which is rendered into English as prime minister), and in Israel he is 'Rosh HaMemshalah' meaning head of government. In many cases, though commonly used, "prime minister" is not the official title of the office-holder; the Spanish prime minister is the President of the Government (Presidente del Gobierno). Other common forms include president of the council of ministers (for example in Italy, Presidente del Consiglio dei Ministri), President of the Executive Council, or Minister-President. In the Scandinavian countries the prime minister is called statsminister in the native languages (i.e. minister of state). In federations, the head of government of subnational entities such as provinces is most commonly known as the premier, chief minister, governor or minister-president. In non-Commonwealth countries the prime minister may be entitled to the style of Excellency like a president. In some Commonwealth countries prime ministers and former prime ministers are styled Right Honourable due to their position, for example in the Prime Minister of Canada. In the United Kingdom the prime minister and former prime ministers may appear to also be styled Right Honourable, however this is not due to their position as head of government but as a privilege of being current members of Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council.[3] In the UK where devolved government is in place, the leaders of the Scottish, Northern Irish and Welsh Governments are styled First Minister. In India, The Prime Minister is referred to as "Pradhan Mantri", meaning "prime minister". In Pakistan, the prime minister is referred to as "Wazir-e-Azam", meaning "Grand Vizier". Description of the role[link] Wilfried Martens, who served as Prime Minister of Belgium, described his role as follows: First of all [the Prime Minister] must listen a lot, and when deep disagreements occur, he must suggest a solution to the matter. This can be done in different ways. Sometimes during the discussion, I note the elements of the problem and think of a proposal I can formulate to the Council (cabinet), the Secretary taking notes. The Ministers then insist on changing game ages. The Prime Minister can also make a proposal which leaves enough room for amendments in order to keep the current discussion on the right tracks. When a solution must be found in order to reach a consensus, he can force one or two Ministers to join or resign.[citation needed] Lists of prime ministers[link] The following table groups the list of past and present prime ministers and details information available in those lists. Government List starts Parties shown Term given by years or dates Incumbent Abkhazia 1995 - dates Leonid Lakerbaia Afghanistan 1927 - years (Post abolished) Albania (List) 1912 - years Sali Berisha Algeria 1962 yes years Ahmed Ouyahia Andorra 1982 - years Antoni Martí Angola 1975 - dates (Post abolished) Anguilla 1976 yes dates Hubert Hughes Antigua and Barbuda 1981 - years Baldwin Spencer Armenia 1918 yes dates Tigran Sargsyan Aruba 1986 - dates Mike Eman Australia (List) 1901 yes dates Julia Gillard Austria 1918 yes years Werner Faymann Azerbaijan 1918 yes dates Artur Rasizade Bahamas 1967 - dates Hubert Ingraham Bahrain 1970 - years Sheikh Khalifah bin Sulman Al Khalifah Bangladesh 1971 yes dates Sheikh Hasina Barbados 1954 yes dates Freundel Stuart Belarus 1919 - dates Mikhail Myasnikovich Belgium 1831 yes dates Elio Di Rupo Belize 1973 yes years Dean Barrow Benin 1957 yes dates Pascal Koupaki Bermuda 1968 yes dates Paula Cox Bhutan 1952 - dates Jigme Thinley Bosnia and Herzegovina 1943 - dates Vjekoslav Bevanda Botswana 1965 yes dates (Post abolished) Brazil 1847 yes dates (Post abolished) British Virgin Islands 1967 yes dates Orlando Smith Bulgaria 1879 yes dates Boyko Borisov Burkina Faso 1971 - dates Luc-Adolphe Tiao Burundi 1961 yes dates (Post abolished) Cambodia 1945 - years Hun Sen Cameroon 1960 - dates Philémon Yang Canada (List) 1867 yes dates Stephen Harper Cape Verde 1975 - dates José Maria Neves Cayman Islands 1992 yes dates McKeeva Bush Central African Republic 1958 - dates Faustin-Archange Touadéra Chad 1978 - dates Emmanuel Nadingar People's Republic of China (List) 1949 - dates Wen Jiabao Comoros 1957 yes dates (Post abolished) Congo (Brazzaville) 1957 yes dates (Post abolished) Congo (Kinshasa) (List) 1960 yes dates Augustin Matata Ponyo Cook Islands 1965 yes dates Henry Puna Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) 1957 yes dates Jeannot Ahoussou-Kouadio Croatia 1939 - dates Zoran Milanović Cuba 1940 - dates Raúl Castro Curaçao 2010 - dates Gerrit Schotte Northern Cyprus 1983 yes dates İrsen Küçük Czech Republic 1993 - years Petr Nečas Denmark (List) 1848 - years Helle Thorning-Schmidt Djibouti 1977 - dates Dileita Mohamed Dileita Dominica 1960 - dates Roosevelt Skerrit East Timor 2002 - dates Xanana Gusmão Egypt (List) 1878 - years Kamal Ganzouri Equatorial Guinea 1963 - dates Ignacio Milam Tang Estonia 1918 - dates Andrus Ansip Ethiopia 1942 yes dates Meles Zenawi Faroe Islands 1946 - years Kaj Leo Johannesen Fiji 1966 - dates Frank Bainimarama (interim) Finland 1917 yes years Jyrki Katainen France (List) 1589 - years François Fillon Gabon 1957 yes dates Raymond Ndong Sima The Gambia 1961 - dates (Post abolished) Ghana 1957 - dates (Post abolished) Georgia 1918 yes dates Nika Gilauri Germany (List) 1871/1949 yes dates Angela Merkel Gibraltar 1964 yes dates Fabian Picardo Greece (List) 1833 - dates Lucas Papademos Greenland 1979 - years Kuupik Kleist Grenada 1954 - years Tillman Thomas Guernsey 2007 - dates Lyndon Trott Guinea 1972 - dates Mohamed Said Fofana Guinea-Bissau 1973 - dates Adiato Djaló Nandigna (acting) Guyana 1953 - dates Sam Hinds Haiti 1988 - dates Garry Conille Hungary (List) 1848 - dates Viktor Orbán Iceland 1904 - dates Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir India (List) 1947 yes dates Manmohan Singh Indonesia 1945 yes dates (Post abolished) Iran (List) 1824 - years (Post abolished) Iraq 1920 - years Nouri al-Maliki Ireland 1937 yes dates Enda Kenny Israel (List) 1948 - years Benjamin Netanyahu Italy (List) 1861 - years Mario Monti Jamaica 1959 - years Portia Simpson-Miller Japan (List) 1885 - dates Yoshihiko Noda Jersey 2005 - dates Ian Gorst Jordan 1944 - dates Awn Shawkat Al-Khasawneh Kazakhstan 1920 - years Karim Massimov Kenya 1963 - dates Raila Odinga North Korea 1948 - years Choe Yong-rim South Korea (List) 1948 - years Kim Hwang-sik Kosovo 1945 yes dates Hashim Thaçi Kuwait 1962 yes dates Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah Kyrgyzstan 1924 - dates Omurbek Babanov Laos 1941 - years Thongsing Thammavong Latvia 1918 yes dates Valdis Dombrovskis Lebanon 1926 - dates Najib Mikati Lesotho 1965 yes dates Pakalitha Mosisili Libya 1951 - dates Abdurrahim El-Keib Liechtenstein 1921 yes dates Klaus Tschütscher Lithuania 1918 yes dates Andrius Kubilius Luxembourg 1959 - years Jean-Claude Juncker Macedonia 1943 yes dates Nikola Gruevski Madagascar 1833 - dates Omer Beriziky Malawi 1963 yes dates (Post abolished) Malaysia 1957 yes years Najib Razak Mali 1957 yes dates Cissé Mariam Kaïdama Sidibé Malta 1921 yes years Lawrence Gonzi Isle of Man 1986 - years Allan Bell Mauritania 1957 yes dates Moulaye Ould Mohamed Laghdaf Mauritius 1961 yes dates Navin Ramgoolam Moldova 1990 - dates Vlad Filat Monaco 1911 n/a dates Michel Roger Mongolia 1912 yes dates Sükhbaataryn Batbold Montenegro 1879 yes dates Igor Lukšić Montserrat 1960 yes dates Reuben Meade Morocco 1955 yes years Abdelilah Benkirane Mozambique 1974 yes dates Aires Ali Myanmar (Burma) 1948 yes dates (Post abolished) Nagorno-Karabakh 1992 no dates Arayik Harutyunyan Namibia 1990 yes dates Nahas Angula Nepal 1953 - dates Baburam Bhattarai Netherlands (List) 1848 yes dates Mark Rutte New Zealand (List) 1856 yes dates John Key Newfoundland 1855 yes dates (Post abolished) Niger 1958 yes dates Brigi Rafini Nigeria 1960 yes dates (Post abolished) Niue 1974 - dates Toke Talagi Norfolk Island 1896 - dates David Buffett Norway 1814 yes years Jens Stoltenberg Pakistan (List) 1947 - dates Yousaf Raza Gillani Palestinian National Authority 2003 yes dates Salam Fayyad Papua New Guinea 1975 yes years Peter O'Neill Peru 1975 yes dates Oscar Valdés Philippines 1899 yes dates (Post abolished) Poland (List) 1917 - dates Donald Tusk Portugal (List) 1834 yes dates Pedro Passos Coelho Qatar 1970 - dates Hamad ibn Jassim ibn Jabr Al Thani Romania 1862 - years Mihai Răzvan Ungureanu Russia (List) 1864/1905 yes dates Dmitry Medvedev Rwanda 1960 yes dates Pierre Habumuremyi Saint Kitts and Nevis 1960 - dates Denzil Douglas Saint Lucia 1960 - dates Stephenson King Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1956 - dates Ralph Gonsalves Samoa 1875 yes dates Tuilaepa Aiono Sailele Malielegaoi São Tomé and Principe 1974 yes dates Patrice Trovoada Saudi Arabia 1953 no dates King Abdullah Senegal 1957 yes dates Souleymane Ndéné Ndiaye Serbia 1805 yes years Mirko Cvetković Seychelles 1970 yes years (Post abolished) Sierra Leone 1954 yes dates (Post abolished) Singapore 1959 - dates Lee Hsien Loong Sint Maarten 2010 - dates Sarah Wescot-Williams Slovakia 1993 - dates Robert Fico Slovenia 1943 yes years Janez Janša Solomon Islands 1949 yes dates Gordon Darcy Lilo Somalia 1949 yes dates Abdiweli Mohamed Ali South Africa 1910 - dates (Post abolished) South Ossetia 1991 - dates Vadim Brovtsev Spain (List) 1705 yes years Mariano Rajoy Sri Lanka (List) 1948 - dates D. M. Jayaratne Sudan 1952 yes dates (Post abolished) Suriname 1949 yes dates (Post abolished) Swaziland 1967 - years Barnabas Sibusiso Dlamini Sweden (List) 1876 yes years Fredrik Reinfeldt Syria 1920 - dates Adel Safar Taiwan (Republic of China) (List) 1911 - dates Sean Chen Tajikistan 1924 - dates Okil Okilov Tanzania 1960 yes dates Mizengo Pinda Thailand (List) 1932 yes dates Yingluck Shinawatra Togo 1956 yes dates Gilbert Houngbo Tokelau 1992 - dates Keli Kalolo Tonga 1876 - years Sialeʻataongo Tuʻivakanō Trinidad and Tobago 1956 - dates Kamla Persad-Bissessar Tunisia 1969 - dates Hamadi Jebali Turkmenistan 1924 - dates (Post abolished) Turkey 1920 yes dates Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Turks and Caicos Islands 1976 yes dates vacant Tuvalu 1975 n/a dates Willy Telavi Uganda 1961 yes dates Amama Mbabazi Ukraine (List) 1917 - dates Mykola Azarov United Arab Emirates 1971 - years Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum United Kingdom (List) 1721 yes dates David Cameron Uzbekistan 1924 - dates Shavkat Mirziyoyev Vanuatu 1980 yes dates Sato Kilman Vatican 1644 - years Tarcisio Bertone Vietnam 1976 yes dates Nguyễn Tấn Dũng Yemen 1990 yes years Mohammed Basindawa Western Sahara 1976 no years Abdelkader Taleb Oumar Zambia 1964 yes dates (Post abolished) Zimbabwe 1923 - dates Morgan Tsvangirai

Julia Gillard, the current Prime Minister of Australia Khalifa Al Khalifa, the current Prime Minister of Bahrain Boyko Borisov, the current Prime Minister of Bulgaria Stephen Harper, the current Prime Minister of Canada Zoran Milanović, the current Prime Minister of Croatia Helle Thorning-Schmidt, the current Prime Minister of Denmark Dileita Dileita, the current Prime Minister of Djibouti Kamal Ganzouri the current Prime Minister of Egypt, and third post-revolutionary Prime Minister Jyrki Katainen, the current Prime Minister of Finland Angela Merkel, the current Chancellor of Germany Viktor Orban, the current Prime Minister of Hungary Manmohan Singh, the current Prime Minister of India Nouri Al Maliki, the current Prime Minister of Iraq Mario Monti, the current Prime Minister of Italy Yoshihiko Noda, the current Prime Minister of Japan Raila Odinga, the current Prime Minister of Kenya Nikola Gruevski, Premier of Republic of Macedonia Najib Tun Razak, the current Prime Minister of Malaysia Abdelilah Benkirane, the current Prime Minister of Morocco Mark Rutte, the current Prime Minister of the Netherlands Yousaf Raza Gillani, the current Prime Minister of Pakistan Donald Tusk, the current Prime Minister of Poland Hamad Al Thani, the current Prime Minister of Qatar Mihai Răzvan Ungureanu, the current Prime Minister of Romania Mirko Cvetković, the current Prime Minister of Serbia Robert Fico, the current Prime Minister of Slovakia Yingluck Shinawatra, the current Prime Minister of Thailand Hamadi Jebali, the current Prime Minister of Tunisia Mohammed Al Maktoum, the current Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates David Cameron, the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

See also[link]

• Chancellor
• Chief Minister
• Governor-General
• Head of state
• Monarch
• President

Lists:

• List of current heads of state and government
• List of democracy and election-related topics

Footnotes[link]

External links[link]

• Website of the Prime Minister of Albania
• Website of the Prime Minister of Australia
• Website of the Prime Minister of Barbados
• Website of the Prime Minister of Belgium
• Website of the Prime Minister of Bosnia & Herzegovina
• Website of the Prime Minister of Canada
• Website of the Prime Minister of Croatia
• Website of the Prime Minister of France
• Website of the Prime Minister of Georgia
• Website of the Federal Chancellor of Germany
• Website of the Prime Minister of the Hellenic Republic (Greece)
• Website of the Prime Minister of Hungary
• Website of the Prime Minister of Iceland
• Website of the Prime Minister of India
• Website of the Taoiseach of Ireland
• Website of the Prime Minister of Israel
• Website of the Prime Minister of Italy
• Website of the Prime Minister of Japan
• Website of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo
• Website of the Prime Minister of South Korea
• Website of the Prime Minister of Malaysia
• Website of the Prime Minister of Malta
• Website of the Prime Minister of The Netherlands
• Website of the Prime Minister of New Zealand
• Website of the Prime Minister of Norway
• Website of the Prime Minister of Poland
• Website of the Prime Minister of Romania
• Website of the Prime Minister of Russia
• Website of the Prime Minister of Singapore
• Website of the Prime Minister of Slovakia
• Website of the Prime Minister of Slovenia
• Website of the President of the Government of Spain
• Website of the Prime Minister of Sweden
• /Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam
• Website of the Prime Minister of Thailand
• Website of the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago
• Website of the Prime Minister of Vietnam
• Website of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

The Right Honourable David Cameron MP
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Incumbent
Assumed office 11 May 2010
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Deputy	Nick Clegg
Preceded by	Gordon Brown
Leader of the Opposition
In office 6 December 2005 – 11 May 2010
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Prime Minister	Tony Blair Gordon Brown
Preceded by	Michael Howard
Succeeded by	Harriet Harman
Leader of the Conservative Party
Incumbent
Assumed office 6 December 2005
Preceded by	Michael Howard
Shadow Secretary of State for Education and Skills
In office 6 May 2005 – 6 December 2005
Leader	Michael Howard
Preceded by	Tim Yeo
Succeeded by	David Willetts
Member of Parliament for Witney
Incumbent
Assumed office 7 June 2001
Preceded by	Shaun Woodward
Majority	22,740 (39.4%)
Personal details
Born	David William Donald Cameron (1966-10-09) 9 October 1966 (age 45) London, England
Political party	Conservative
Spouse(s)	Samantha Sheffield (1996–present)
Children	Ivan Reginald Ian (Deceased) Nancy Gwen Arthur Elwen Florence Rose Endellion
Residence	10 Downing Street
Alma mater	Brasenose College, Oxford
Religion	Church of England (Anglican)
Website	Party website

David William Donald Cameron (pronunciation: /ˈkæmərən/; born 9 October 1966) is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. He represents Witney as its Member of Parliament (MP).^[1]

Cameron studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) at Oxford, gaining a first class honours degree. He then joined the Conservative Research Department and became Special Adviser to Norman Lamont, and then to Michael Howard. He was Director of Corporate Affairs at Carlton Communications for seven years.

He was defeated in his first candidacy for Parliament at Stafford in 1997, but was elected in 2001 as the Member of Parliament for the Oxfordshire constituency of Witney. He was promoted to the Opposition front bench two years later, and rose rapidly to become head of policy co-ordination during the 2005 general election campaign. With a public image of a youthful, moderate candidate who would appeal to young voters, he won the Conservative leadership election in 2005.^[2]

In the 2010 general election held on 6 May, the Conservatives won 307 seats in a hung parliament. After five days of intense negotiations, Cameron formed a coalition with the Liberal Democrats. The 43-year-old Cameron became the youngest British Prime Minister since the Earl of Liverpool 198 years earlier.^[3] Cameron leads the first coalition government of the United Kingdom since the Second World War.

Family[link]

David Cameron is the younger son of stockbroker Ian Donald Cameron (12 October 1932 – 8 September 2010)^[4] and his wife Mary Fleur (née Mount, born 1934,^[5] a retired Justice of the Peace, daughter of Sir William Mount, 2nd Baronet).^[6] His father, Ian, was born with both legs deformed and underwent repeated operations to correct them. Cameron's parents were married on 20 October 1962.^[5] He was born in London, and brought up in Peasemore, Berkshire.^[7] Cameron has a brother, Allan Alexander (born 1963, a barrister and QC)^[8] and two sisters, Tania Rachel (born 1965) and Clare Louise (born 1971).^[5][9] His father was born at Blairmore House, a country house near Huntly, Aberdeenshire, and died near Toulon in France on 8 September 2010.^[10] Blairmore was built by his great-great-grandfather, Alexander Geddes,^[11] who had made a fortune in the grain trade in Chicago, and returned to Scotland in the 1880s.^[12]

King William IV, one of Cameron's ancestors

Through his paternal grandmother, Enid Agnes Maud Levita, Cameron is a direct descendant of King William IV by his mistress Dorothea Jordan. This illegitimate line consists of five generations of women starting with Elizabeth Hay, Countess of Erroll, née FitzClarence, William and Jordan's sixth child,^[13] through to Cameron's grandmother (thereby making Cameron a 5th cousin of Queen Elizabeth II).^[14] Cameron's paternal forebears also have a long history in finance. His father Ian was senior partner of the stockbrokers Panmure Gordon, in which firm partnerships had long been held by Cameron's ancestors, including David's grandfather and great-grandfather,^[9] and was a Director of estate agent John D. Wood. David Cameron's great-great grandfather Emile Levita, a German-Jewish financier (and descendant of Renaissance scholar Elia Levita) who obtained British citizenship in 1871, was the director of the Chartered Bank of India, Australia and China which became Standard Chartered Bank in 1969.^[14] His wife, Cameron's great-great grandmother, was a descendant of the wealthy Danish Jewish Rée family on her father's side.^[15][16] One of Emile's sons, Arthur Francis Levita (died 1910, brother of Sir Cecil Levita),^[17] of Panmure Gordon stockbrokers, together with great-great-grandfather Sir Ewen Cameron,^[18] London head of the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank, played key roles in arranging loans supplied by the Rothschilds to the Japanese Central Banker (later Prime Minister) Takahashi Korekiyo for the financing of the Japanese Government in the Russo-Japanese war.^[19]

Cameron's maternal grandfather was Sir William Mount, 2nd Baronet, an Army officer and the High Sheriff of Berkshire, and Cameron's maternal great-grandfather was Sir William Mount, 1st Baronet, CBE, Conservative MP for Newbury 1918–1922. Cameron's great-great grandmother was Lady Ida Matilda Alice Feilding. His great-great-great grandfather was William Feilding, 7th Earl of Denbigh, GCH, PC, a courtier and Gentleman of the Bedchamber.^[20] His mother's cousin, Sir Ferdinand Mount, was head of 10 Downing Street's Policy Unit in the early 1980s. Cameron is the nephew of Sir William Dugdale, brother-in-law of Katherine, Lady Dugdale (died 2004) Lady-in-Waiting to HM The Queen since 1955,^[21][22] and former Chairman of Aston Villa Football Club. Birmingham born documentary film-maker Joshua Dugdale is his cousin.^[23]

Education[link]

Eton College chapel.

From the age of seven, Cameron was educated at two independent schools: at Heatherdown Preparatory School at Winkfield, in Berkshire, which counts Prince Andrew and Prince Edward among its alumni. Due to good academic grades, Cameron entered its top academic class almost two years early.^[24] At the age of thirteen, he went to Eton College in Berkshire, following his father and elder brother.^[25] Eton is often described as the most famous independent school in the world,^[26] and "the chief nurse of England's statesmen".^[27] His early interest was in art. Cameron was in trouble as a teenager, six weeks before taking his O-Levels, when he was named as having smoked cannabis.^[2] He admitted the offence and had not been involved in selling drugs, so he was not expelled, but was fined, prevented from leaving school grounds, and given a "Georgic" (a punishment which involved copying 500 lines of Latin text).^[28]

Cameron passed 12 O-levels, and then studied three A-Levels in History of Art, History and Economics with Politics. He obtained three 'A' grades and a '1' grade in the Scholarship Level exam in Economics and Politics.^[29] The following autumn he passed the entrance exam for Oxford University, where he was offered an exhibition.^[30]

After leaving Eton in 1984,^[31] Cameron started a nine month gap year. He worked as a researcher for Tim Rathbone, Conservative MP for Lewes and his godfather. In his three months he attended debates in the House of Commons.^[32] Through his father, he was then employed for a further three months in Hong Kong by Jardine Matheson as a 'ship jumper', an administrative post.^[33]

Returning from Hong Kong he visited the then Soviet Union, where he was approached by two Russian men speaking fluent English. Cameron was later told by one of his professors that it was 'definitely an attempt' by the KGB to recruit him.^[34]

Cameron then began his Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE) at Brasenose College, Oxford.^[35] His tutor, Professor Vernon Bogdanor, described him as "one of the ablest"^[36] students he has taught, with "moderate and sensible Conservative" political views.^[9] Guy Spier, who shared tutorials with him, remembers him as an outstanding student; "We were doing our best to grasp basic economic concepts. David - there was nobody else who came even close. He would be integrating them with the way the British political system is put together. He could have lectured me on it, and I would have sat there and taken notes.."^[37] When commenting in 2006 on his former pupil's ideas about a "Bill of Rights" to replace the Human Rights Act, however, Professor Bogdanor, himself a Liberal Democrat, said, "I think he is very confused. I've read his speech and it's filled with contradictions. There are one or two good things in it but one glimpses them, as it were, through a mist of misunderstanding".^[38]

While at Oxford, Cameron was a member of the elite student dining society the Bullingdon Club, which has a reputation for an outlandish drinking culture associated with boisterous behaviour and damaging property.^[39] A photograph showing Cameron in a tailcoat with other members of the club, including Boris Johnson, surfaced in 2007, but was later withdrawn by the copyright holder.^[40] Cameron's period in the Bullingdon Club is examined in the Channel 4 docu-drama When Boris Met Dave broadcast on 7 October 2009.^[41] Cameron graduated in 1988 with a first class honours degree.^[42]

Early political career[link]

Conservative Research Department[link]

After graduation, Cameron worked for the Conservative Research Department between September 1988^[43] and 1993. A feature on Cameron in The Mail on Sunday on 18 March 2007 reported that on the day he was due to attend a job interview at Conservative Central Office, a phone call was received from Buckingham Palace. The male caller stated, "I understand you are to see David Cameron. I've tried everything I can to dissuade him from wasting his time on politics but I have failed. I am ringing to tell you that you are about to meet a truly remarkable young man."^[44]

In 1991, Cameron was seconded to Downing Street to work on briefing John Major for his then bi-weekly session of Prime Minister's Questions. One newspaper gave Cameron the credit for "sharper [...] despatch box performances" by Major,^[45] which included highlighting for Major "a dreadful piece of doublespeak" by Tony Blair (then the Labour Employment spokesman) over the effect of a national minimum wage.^[46] He became head of the political section of the Conservative Research Department, and in August 1991 was tipped to follow Judith Chaplin as Political Secretary to the Prime Minister.^[47]

However, Cameron lost to Jonathan Hill, who was appointed in March 1992. He was given the responsibility for briefing Major for his press conferences during the 1992 general election.^[48] During the campaign, Cameron was one of the young "brat pack" of party strategists who worked between 12 and 20 hours a day, sleeping in the house of Alan Duncan in Gayfere Street, Westminster, which had been Major's campaign headquarters during his bid for the Conservative leadership.^[49] Cameron headed the economic section; it was while working on this campaign that Cameron first worked closely with Steve Hilton, who was later to become Director of Strategy during his party leadership.^[50] The strain of getting up at 4:45 am every day was reported to have led Cameron to decide to leave politics in favour of journalism.^[51]

Special Adviser[link]

The Conservatives' unexpected success in the 1992 election led Cameron to hit back at older party members who had criticised him and his colleagues, saying "whatever people say about us, we got the campaign right," and that they had listened to their campaign workers on the ground rather than the newspapers. He revealed he had led other members of the team across Smith Square to jeer at Transport House, the former Labour headquarters.^[52] Cameron was rewarded with a promotion to Special Adviser to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Norman Lamont.^[53]

Cameron was working for Lamont at the time of Black Wednesday, when pressure from currency speculators forced the Pound sterling out of the European Exchange Rate Mechanism. At the 1992 Conservative Party conference, Cameron had difficulty trying to arrange to brief the speakers in the economic debate, having to resort to putting messages on the internal television system imploring the mover of the motion, Patricia Morris, to contact him.^[54] Later that month Cameron joined a delegation of Special Advisers who visited Germany to build better relations with the Christian Democratic Union; he was reported to be "still smarting" over the Bundesbank's contribution to the economic crisis.^[55]

Lamont fell out with John Major after Black Wednesday and became highly unpopular with the public. Taxes needed to be raised in the 1993 Budget, and Cameron fed the options Lamont was considering through to Conservative Central Office for their political acceptability to be assessed.^[56] However, Lamont's unpopularity did not necessarily affect Cameron: he was considered as a potential "kamikaze" candidate for the Newbury By-election, which includes the area where he grew up.^[57] However, Cameron decided not to stand.

During the by-election, Lamont gave the response "Je ne regrette rien" to a question about whether he most regretted claiming to see "the green shoots of recovery" or admitted "singing in his bath" with happiness at leaving the ERM. Cameron was identified by one journalist as having inspired this gaffe; it was speculated that the heavy Conservative defeat in Newbury may have cost Cameron his chance of becoming Chancellor himself, even though as he was not a Member of Parliament he could not have been.^[58] Lamont was sacked at the end of May 1993, and decided not to write the usual letter of resignation; Cameron was given the responsibility to issue to the press a statement of self-justification.^[59]

Home Office[link]

The Home Office building Cameron worked at during the 1990s

After Lamont was sacked, Cameron remained at the Treasury for less than a month before being specifically recruited by Home Secretary Michael Howard; it was commented that he was still "very much in favour".^[60] It was later reported that many at the Treasury would have preferred Cameron to carry on.^[61] At the beginning of September 1993, Cameron applied to go on Conservative Central Office's list of Prospective Parliamentary Candidates.^[62]

According to Derek Lewis, then Director-General of Her Majesty's Prison Service, Cameron showed him a "his and hers list" of proposals made by Howard and his wife, Sandra. Lewis said that Sandra Howard's list included reducing the quality of prison food, although Sandra Howard denied this claim. Lewis reported that Cameron was "uncomfortable" about the list.^[63] In defending Sandra Howard and insisting that she made no such proposal, the journalist Bruce Anderson wrote that Cameron had proposed a much shorter definition on prison catering which revolved around the phrase "balanced diet", and that Lewis had written thanking Cameron for a valuable contribution.^[64]

During his work for Howard, Cameron often briefed the media. In March 1994, someone leaked to the Press that the Labour Party had called for a meeting with John Major to discuss a consensus on the Prevention of Terrorism Act. After an enquiry failed to find the source of the leak, Labour MP Peter Mandelson demanded assurance from Howard that Cameron had not been responsible, which Howard gave.^[65][66] A senior Home Office Civil Servant noted the influence of Howard's Special Advisers saying previous incumbents "would listen to the evidence before making a decision. Howard just talks to young public school gentlemen from the party headquarters."^[67]

Carlton[link]

In July 1994, Cameron left his role as Special Adviser to work as the Director of Corporate Affairs at Carlton Communications.^[68] Carlton, which had won the ITV franchise for London weekdays in 1991, was a growing media company which also had film distribution and video producing arms. In 1997 Cameron played up the Company's prospects for digital terrestrial television, for which it joined with Granada television and BSkyB to form British Digital Broadcasting.^[69] In a roundtable discussion on the future of broadcasting in 1998 he criticised the effect of overlapping different regulators on the industry.^[70]

Carlton's consortium did win the digital terrestrial franchise but the resulting company suffered difficulties in attracting subscribers. In 1999 the Express on Sunday newspaper claimed Cameron had rubbished one of its stories which had given an accurate number of subscribers, because he wanted the number to appear higher than expected.^[71] Cameron resigned as Director of Corporate Affairs in February 2001 in order to fight for election to Parliament, although he remained on the payroll as a consultant.^[72]

Parliamentary candidacy[link]

Stafford, the constituency Cameron contested in 1997

Having been approved for the Candidates' list, Cameron began looking for a seat. He was reported to have missed out on selection for Ashford in December 1994 after failing to get to the selection meeting as a result of train delays.^[73] Early in 1996, he was selected for Stafford, a new constituency created by boundary changes, which was projected to have a Conservative majority.^[74] At the 1996 Conservative Party Conference he called for tax cuts in the forthcoming Budget to be targeted at the low paid and to "small businesses where people took money out of their own pockets to put into companies to keep them going".^[75] He also said the Party, "Should be proud of the Tory tax record but that people needed reminding of its achievements ... It's time to return to our tax cutting agenda. The socialist Prime Ministers of Europe have endorsed Tony Blair because they want a federal pussy cat and not a British lion."^[76]

When writing his election address, Cameron made his own opposition to British membership of the single European currency clear, pledging not to support it. This was a break with official Conservative policy but about 200 other candidates were making similar declarations.^[77] Otherwise, Cameron kept very closely to the national party line. He also campaigned using the claim that a Labour Government would increase the cost of a pint of beer by 24p; however the Labour candidate David Kidney portrayed Cameron as "a right-wing Tory". Stafford had a swing almost the same as the national swing, which made it one of the many seats to fall to Labour: David Kidney had a majority of 4,314.^[78][79]

In the round of selection contests taking place in the run-up to the 2001 general election, Cameron again attempted to be selected for a winnable seat. He tried out for the Kensington and Chelsea seat after the death of Alan Clark,^[80] but did not make the shortlist.

He was in the final two but narrowly lost at Wealden in March 2000,^[81] a loss ascribed by Samantha Cameron to his lack of spontaneity when speaking.^[82]

On 4 April 2000 Cameron was selected as prospective candidate (PPC) for Witney in Oxfordshire. This had been a safe Conservative seat but its sitting MP Shaun Woodward (who had worked with Cameron on the 1992 election campaign) had "crossed the floor" to join the Labour Party; newspapers claimed Cameron and Woodward had "loathed each other",^[83] although Cameron's biographers Francis Elliott and James Hanning describe them as being "on fairly friendly terms".^[84] Cameron put a great deal of effort into "nursing" his potential constituency, turning up at social functions, and attacking Woodward for changing his mind on fox hunting to support a ban.^[85]

During the election campaign, Cameron accepted the offer of writing a regular column for The Guardian's online section.^[86] He won the seat with a 1.9% swing to the Conservatives and a majority of 7,973.^[87][88]

Member of Parliament[link]

Upon his election to Parliament, he served as a member of the Commons Home Affairs Select Committee, a prominent appointment for a newly elected MP. Cameron's proposed that the Committee launch an inquiry into the law on drugs,^[89] and urged the consideration of "radical options".^[90] The report recommended a downgrading of Ecstasy from Class A to Class B, as well as moves towards a policy of 'harm reduction', which Cameron defended.^[91]

Cameron determinedly attempted to increase his public profile, offering quotations on matters of public controversy. He opposed the payment of compensation to Gurbux Singh, who had resigned as head of the Commission for Racial Equality after a confrontation with the police;^[92] and commented that the Home Affairs Select Committee had taken a long time to discuss whether the phrase "black market" should be used.^[93] However, he was passed over for a front bench promotion in July 2002; Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith did invite Cameron and his ally George Osborne to coach him on Prime Minister's Questions in November 2002. The next week, Cameron deliberately abstained in a vote on allowing same-sex and unmarried couples to adopt children jointly, against a whip to oppose; his abstention was noted.^[94] The wide scale of abstentions and rebellious votes destabilised the Iain Duncan Smith leadership.

In June 2003, Cameron was appointed as a shadow minister in the Privy Council Office as a deputy to Eric Forth, who was then Shadow Leader of the House. He also became a vice-chairman of the Conservative Party when Michael Howard took over the leadership in November of that year. He was appointed as the Opposition frontbench local government spokesman in 2004, before being promoted into the shadow cabinet that June as head of policy co-ordination. Later, he became Shadow Education Secretary in the post-election reshuffle.^[95]

From February 2002^[96] until August 2005 he was a non-executive director of Urbium PLC, operator of the Tiger Tiger bar chain.^[97]

Leadership of the Conservative Party[link]

David Cameron campaigning for the 2006 local elections in Newcastle upon Tyne

Leadership election[link]

Following the Labour victory in the May 2005 general election, Michael Howard announced his resignation as leader of the Conservative Party and set a lengthy timetable for the leadership election. Cameron announced formally that he would be a candidate for the position on 29 September 2005. Parliamentary colleagues supporting him initially included Boris Johnson, Shadow Chancellor George Osborne, then Shadow Defence Secretary and deputy leader of the party Michael Ancram, Oliver Letwin^[98] and former party leader William Hague.^[99] Despite this, his campaign did not gain significant support prior to the 2005 Conservative Party Conference. However his speech, delivered without notes, proved a significant turning point. In the speech he vowed to make people, "feel good about being Conservatives again" and said he wanted, "to switch on a whole new generation."^[100]

In the first ballot of Conservative MPs on 18 October 2005, Cameron came second, with 56 votes, slightly more than expected; David Davis had fewer than predicted at 62 votes; Liam Fox came third with 42 votes and Kenneth Clarke was eliminated with 38 votes. In the second ballot on 20 October 2005, Cameron came first with 90 votes; David Davis was second, with 57, and Liam Fox was eliminated with 51 votes.^[101] All 198 Conservative MPs voted in both ballots.

The next stage of the election process, between Davis and Cameron, was a vote open to the entire Conservative party membership. Cameron was elected with more than twice as many votes as Davis and more than half of all ballots issued; Cameron won 134,446 votes on a 78% turnout, beating Davis's 64,398 votes.^[102] Although Davis had initially been the favourite, it was widely acknowledged that Davis's candidacy was marred by a disappointing conference speech, whilst Cameron's was well received. Cameron's election as the Leader of the Conservative Party and Leader of the Opposition was announced on 6 December 2005. As is customary for an Opposition leader not already a member, upon election Cameron became a member of the Privy Council, being formally approved to join on 14 December 2005, and sworn of the Council on 8 March 2006.^[103]

Cameron's appearance on the cover of Time in September 2008 was said by the Daily Mail to present him to the world as 'Prime Minister in waiting'.^[104]

Reaction to Cameron as leader[link]

Cameron being interviewed at the headquarters of Oxfam in 2006.

Cameron's relative youth and inexperience before becoming leader have invited satirical comparison with Tony Blair. Private Eye soon published a picture of both leaders on their front cover, with the caption "World's first face transplant a success".^[105] On the left, New Statesman has unfavourably likened his "new style of politics" to Tony Blair's early leadership years.^[106] Cameron is accused of paying excessive attention to image, with ITV News broadcasting footage from the 2006 Conservative Party Conference in Bournemouth which showed him wearing four different sets of clothes within the space of a few hours.^[107] Cameron was characterised in a Labour Party political broadcast as "Dave the Chameleon", who would change what he said to match the expectations of his audience. Cameron later claimed that the broadcast had become his daughter's "favourite video".^[108] He has also been described by comedy writer and broadcaster Charlie Brooker as being "like a hollow Easter egg with no bag of sweets inside" in his Guardian column.^[109]

On the right, Norman Tebbit, former Chairman of the Conservative Party, has likened Cameron to Pol Pot, "intent on purging even the memory of Thatcherism before building a New Modern Compassionate Green Globally Aware Party".^[110] Quentin Davies MP, who defected from the Conservatives to Labour on 26 June 2007, branded him "superficial, unreliable and [with] an apparent lack of any clear convictions" and stated that David Cameron had turned the Conservative Party's mission into a "PR agenda".^[111] Traditionalist conservative columnist and author Peter Hitchens has written that, "Mr Cameron has abandoned the last significant difference between his party and the established left", by embracing social liberalism^[112] and has dubbed the party under his leadership "Blue Labour", a pun on New Labour.^[113] Cameron responded by calling Hitchens a "maniac".^[114] Daily Telegraph correspondent and blogger Gerald Warner has been particularly scathing about Cameron's leadership, arguing that it is alienating traditionalist conservative elements from the Conservative Party.^[115]

Cameron is reported to be known to friends and family as "Dave", though he invariably uses "David'" in public.^[116] Critics often refer to him as "Call me Dave", implying populism in the same way as "Call me Tony" was used in 1997.^[117] The Times columnist Daniel Finkelstein has condemned those who attempt to belittle Cameron by calling him 'Dave'.^[118]

Shadow Cabinet appointments[link]

Cameron speaking at the Home Office, on 13 May 2010.

His Shadow Cabinet appointments have included MPs associated with the various wings of the party. Former leader William Hague was appointed to the Foreign Affairs brief, while both George Osborne and David Davis were retained, as Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer and Shadow Home Secretary respectively. Hague, assisted by Davis, stood in for Cameron during his paternity leave in February 2006.^[119] In June 2008 Davis announced his intention to resign as an MP, and was immediately replaced as Shadow Home Secretary by Dominic Grieve, the surprise move seen as a challenge to the changes introduced under Cameron's leadership.^[120]

David Cameron with Theresa May, who was a member of the Shadow Cabinet from 1999 until 2010.

In January 2009 a reshuffle of the Shadow Cabinet was undertaken. The chief change was the appointment of former Chancellor of the Exchequer Kenneth Clarke as Shadow Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Secretary, David Cameron stating that "With Ken Clarke's arrival, we now have the best economic team." The reshuffle saw eight other changes made.^[121]

European Conservatives and Reformists[link]

During his successful campaign to be elected Leader of the Conservative Party, Cameron pledged that the Conservative Party's Members of the European Parliament would leave the European People's Party group, which had a "federalist" approach to the European Union.^[122] Once elected Cameron began discussions with right-wing and eurosceptic parties in other European countries, mainly in eastern Europe, and in July 2006 he concluded an agreement to form the Movement for European Reform with the Czech Civic Democratic Party, leading to the formation of a new European Parliament group, the European Conservatives and Reformists, in 2009 after the European Parliament elections.^[123] Cameron attended a gathering at Warsaw's Palladium cinema celebrating the foundation of the alliance.^[124]

In forming the caucus, which had 54 MEPs drawn from eight of the 27 EU member states, Cameron reportedly broke with two decades of Conservative cooperation with the centre-right Christian Democrats, the European People's Party (EPP),^[125] on the grounds that they are dominated by European federalists and supporters of the Lisbon treaty.^[125] EPP leader Wilfried Martens, former prime minister of Belgium, has stated "Cameron's campaign has been to take his party back to the centre in every policy area with one major exception: Europe. ... I can't understand his tactics. Merkel and Sarkozy will never accept his Euroscepticism."^[125] The left-wing New Statesman magazine reported that the US administration had "concerns about Cameron among top members of the team" and quoted David Rothkopf in saying that the issue "makes Cameron an even more dubious choice to be Britain's next prime minister than he was before and, should he attain that post, someone about whom the Obama administration ought to be very cautious."^[126]

Shortlists for Parliamentary Candidates[link]

Similarly, Cameron's initial "A-List" of prospective parliamentary candidates has been attacked by members of his party,^[127] with the policy now having been discontinued in favour of gender balanced final shortlists. These have been criticised by senior Conservative MP and Prisons Spokeswoman Ann Widdecombe as an "insult to women", Widdecombe accusing Cameron of "storing up huge problems for the future."^[128][129] The plans have since led to conflict in a number of constituencies, including the widely reported resignation of Joanne Cash, a close friend of Cameron, as candidate in the constituency of Westminster North following a dispute described as "a battle for the soul of the Tory Party".^[129]

2010 general election[link]

The Conservatives had last won a general election in 1992. The general election of 2010 resulted in the Conservatives, led by Cameron, winning the largest number of seats (306). This was, however, 20 seats short of an overall majority and resulted in the nation's first hung parliament since February 1974.^[130] Talks between Cameron and Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg led to an agreed Conservative/Liberal Democrat coalition.

Prime Minister[link]

Cameron with Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Nick Clegg, and Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, Chris Huhne.

Cameron, and the President of the United States, Barack Obama, during the 2010 G-20 Toronto summit.

On 11 May 2010, following the resignation of Gordon Brown as Prime Minister and on his recommendation, Queen Elizabeth II invited Cameron to form a government.^[131] At age 43, Cameron became the youngest British Prime Minister since Lord Liverpool, who was appointed in 1812.^[3] In his first address outside 10 Downing Street, he announced his intention to form a coalition government, the first since the Second World War, with the Liberal Democrats.

Cameron outlined how he intended to "put aside party differences and work hard for the common good and for the national interest."^[3] As one of his first moves Cameron appointed Nick Clegg, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, as Deputy Prime Minister on 11 May 2010.^[131] Between them, the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats control 363 seats in the House of Commons, with a majority of 76 seats.^[132] On 2 June 2010, when Cameron took his first session of Prime Minister's Questions (PMQs) as Prime Minister, he began by offering his support and condolences to those affected by the shootings in Cumbria.^[133]

On 5 February 2011, Cameron criticised the failure of 'state multiculturalism', in his first speech as PM on radicalisation and the causes of terrorism.^[134]

Policies and views[link]

Self-description of views[link]

Cameron describes himself as a "modern compassionate conservative" and has spoken of a need for a new style of politics, saying that he was "fed up with the Punch and Judy politics of Westminster".^[135] He has stated that he is "certainly a big Thatcher fan, but I don't know whether that makes me a Thatcherite."^[136] He has also claimed to be a "liberal Conservative", and "not a deeply ideological person."^[137] As Leader of the Opposition, Cameron stated that he did not intend to oppose the government as a matter of course, and would offer his support in areas of agreement. He has urged politicians to concentrate more on improving people's happiness and "general well-being", instead of focusing solely on "financial wealth".^[138] There have been claims that he described himself to journalists at a dinner during the leadership contest as the "heir to Blair".^[139] He believes that British Muslims have a duty to integrate into British culture, but notes that they find aspects such as high divorce rates and drug use uninspiring, and that "Not for the first time, I found myself thinking that it is mainstream Britain which needs to integrate more with the British Asian way of life, not the other way around."^[140]

Daniel Finkelstein has said of the period leading up to Cameron's election as leader of the Conservative party that "a small group of us (myself, David Cameron, George Osborne, Michael Gove, Nick Boles, Nick Herbert I think, once or twice) used to meet up in the offices of Policy Exchange, eat pizza, and consider the future of the Conservative Party".^[141]

Cameron co-operated with Dylan Jones, giving him interviews and access, to enable him to produce the book Cameron on Cameron.^[142]

Cameron favours legalising same-sex marriage.^[143]

Parliamentary votes[link]

During November 2001, Cameron voted to modify legislation allowing people detained at a police station to be fingerprinted and searched for an identifying birthmark to be applicable only in connection with a terrorism investigation.^[144] In March 2002, he voted against banning the hunting of wild mammals with dogs,^[145] being an occasional hunter himself.^[146] In April 2003, he voted against the introduction of a bill to ban smoking in restaurants.^[147] In June 2003, he voted against NHS Foundation Trusts.^[148] Also in 2003, he voted to keep the controversial Section 28 clause.^[149]

In March 2003, he voted against a motion that the case had not yet been made for the Iraq War,^[150] and then supported using "all means necessary to ensure the disarmament of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction".^[151] In October 2003, however, he voted in favour of setting up a judicial inquiry into the Iraq War.^[152] In October 2004, he voted in favour of the Civil Partnership Bill.^[153] In February 2005, he voted in favour of changing the text in the Prevention of Terrorism Bill from "The Secretary of State may make a control order against an individual" to "The Secretary of State may apply to the court for a control order ..."^[154] In October 2005, he voted against the Identity Cards Bill.^[155]

Criticism of other parties and politicians[link]

Cameron criticised Gordon Brown (when Brown was Chancellor of the Exchequer) for being "an analogue politician in a digital age" and referred to him as "the roadblock to reform".^[156] He has also said that John Prescott "clearly looks a fool" in light of allegations of ministerial misconduct.^[157] During a speech to the Ethnic Media Conference on 29 November 2006, Cameron also described Ken Livingstone, the Mayor of London, as an "ageing far left politician" in reference to Livingstone's views on multiculturalism.^[158]

Since becoming prime minister, he has reacted to press reports that Brown could be the next head of the International Monetary Fund by hinting that he may block Brown from being appointed to the role, citing the huge national debt that Brown left the country with as a reason for Brown not being suitable for the role.^[159]

Cameron has accused the United Kingdom Independence Party of being "fruitcakes, loonies and closet racists, mostly,"^[160] leading UKIP leader Nigel Farage to demand an apology for the remarks. Right-wing Conservative MP Bob Spink, who later defected to UKIP, also criticised the remarks,^[161] as did the Daily Telegraph.^[162]

Cameron was seen encouraging Conservative MPs to join the standing ovation given to Tony Blair at the end of his last Prime Minister's Question Time; he had paid tribute to the "huge efforts" Blair had made and said Blair had "considerable achievements to his credit, whether it is peace in Northern Ireland or his work in the developing world, which will endure".^[163]

In 2006, Cameron made a speech in which he described extremist Islamic organisations and the British National Party as "mirror images" to each other, both preaching "creeds of pure hatred".^[164] Cameron is listed as being a supporter of Unite Against Fascism.^[165]

Cameron, in late 2009, urged the Lib Dems to join the Conservatives in a new "national movement" arguing there was "barely a cigarette paper" between them on a large number of issues. The invitation was rejected by the Liberal Democrat leader, Nick Clegg, who attacked Cameron at the start of his party's annual conference in Bournemouth, saying that the Conservatives were totally different from his party and that the Lib Dems were the true "progressives" in UK politics.^[166]

Political commentary[link]

Allegations of social elitism[link]

Cameron speaking at a Conservative reception in 2008.

While Leader of the Conservative Party, Cameron has been accused of reliance on "old-boy networks"^[167] and attacked by his party for the imposition of selective shortlists of prospective parliamentary candidates.^[127]

The Guardian has accused Cameron of relying on "the most prestigious of old-boy networks in his attempt to return the Tories to power", pointing out that three members of his shadow cabinet and 15 members of his front bench team were "Old Etonians".^[167] Similarly, The Sunday Times has commented that "David Cameron has more Etonians around him than any leader since Macmillan" and asked whether he can "represent Britain from such a narrow base."^[168] Former Labour cabinet minister Hazel Blears has said of Cameron, "You have to wonder about a man who surrounds himself with so many people who went to the same school. I'm pretty sure I don't want 21st-century Britain run by people who went to just one school."^[169]

Some supporters of the party have accused Cameron's government for cronyism on the front benches, with Sir Tom Cowie, working-class founder of Arriva and former Conservative donor, ceasing his donations in August 2007 due to disillusionment with Cameron's leadership, saying, "the Tory party seems to be run now by Old Etonians and they don't seem to understand how other people live." In reply, Shadow Foreign Secretary William Hague said when a party was changing, "there will always be people who are uncomfortable with that process".^[170]

Cameron speaking in 2010.

In a response to Cameron at Prime Minister's Questions in December 2009, Gordon Brown addressed the Conservative Party's inheritance tax policy, saying it "seems to have been dreamed up on the playing fields of Eton". This led to open discussion of "class war" by the mainstream media and leading politicians of both major parties, with speculation that the 2010 general election campaign would see the Labour Party highlight the backgrounds of senior Conservative politicians.^[171][172]

Raising teaching standards[link]

At the launch of the Conservative Party's education manifesto in January 2010, Cameron declared an admiration for the "brazenly elitist" approach to education of countries such as Singapore and South Korea and expressed a desire to "elevate the status of teaching in our country". He suggested the adoption of more stringent criteria for entry to teaching and offered repayment of the loans of maths and science graduates obtaining first or 2.1 degrees from "good" universities. Wes Streeting, president of the National Union of Students, said "The message that the Conservatives are sending to the majority of students is that if you didn't go to a university attended by members of the Shadow Cabinet, they don't believe you're worth as much." In response to the manifesto as a whole, Chris Keates, head of teaching union NASUWT, said teachers would be left "shocked, dismayed and demoralised" and warned of the potential for strikes as a result.^{[173][174][175]}

South Africa[link]

In April 2009, The Independent reported that in 1989, while Nelson Mandela remained imprisoned under the apartheid regime, David Cameron had accepted a trip to South Africa paid for by an anti-sanctions lobby firm. A spokesperson for Cameron responded by saying that the Conservative Party was at that time opposed to sanctions against South Africa and that his trip was a fact-finding mission. However, the newspaper reported that Cameron's then superior at Conservative Research Department called the trip "jolly", saying that "it was all terribly relaxed, just a little treat, a perk of the job. The Botha regime was attempting to make itself look less horrible, but I don't regard it as having been of the faintest political consequence." Cameron distanced himself from his party's history of opposing sanctions against the regime. He was criticised by Labour MP Peter Hain, himself an anti-apartheid campaigner.^[176]

Turkey and Israel[link]

In a speech in Ankara in July 2010, Cameron stated unequivocally his support for Turkey's accession to the EU, citing economic, security and political considerations, and claimed that those who opposed Turkish membership were driven by "protectionism, narrow nationalism or prejudice".^[177][178] In that speech, he was also critical of Israeli action during the Gaza flotilla raid and its Gaza policy, and repeated his opinion that Israel had turned Gaza into a "prison camp",^[177] having previously referred to Gaza as "a giant open prison".^[179] These views were met with mixed reactions.^{[180][181][182]}

At the end of May 2011, Cameron stepped down as patron of the Jewish National Fund^[183][184] the first British prime minister not to be patron of the charity in the 110 years of its existence.^[185]

Allegations of recreational drug use[link]

During the leadership election, allegations were made that Cameron had used cannabis and cocaine recreationally before becoming an MP.^[186] Pressed on this point during the BBC programme Question Time, Cameron expressed the view that everybody was allowed to "err and stray" in their past.^[187] During his 2005 Conservative leadership campaign he addressed the question of drug consumption by remarking that "I did lots of things before I came into politics which I shouldn't have done. We all did."^[187]

Cameron and Andy Coulson[link]

In 2007 Cameron appointed Andy Coulson, former editor of the News of the World as his director of communications. Coulson had resigned as the paper's editor following the conviction of a reporter in relation to illegal phone hacking, although stating that he knew nothing about it.^[188][189] In June 2010 Downing Street confirmed Coulson's annual salary as £140,000, the highest pay of any special adviser to UK Government.^[190] In January 2011 Coulson left his post, saying coverage of the phone hacking scandal was making it difficult to give his best to the job.^[188] In July 2011 he was arrested and questioned by police in connection with further allegations of illegal activities at the News of the World, and released on bail. Despite a call to apologise for hiring Coulson by the leader of the opposition Ed Miliband, Cameron defended the appointment, saying that he had taken a conscious choice to give someone who had screwed up a second chance.^[191][192] On 20 July, in a special parliamentary session at the House of Commons, arranged to discuss the News of the World phone hacking scandal, Cameron said that he "regretted the furore" that had resulted from his appointment of Coulson, and that "with hindsight" he would not have hired him.^[193][194] Coulson was detained and charged with perjury by Strathclyde Police on 30 May 2012.^[195][196]

Standing in opinion polls[link]

In the first month of Cameron's leadership, the Conservative Party's standing in opinion polls rose, with several pollsters placing it ahead of the ruling Labour Party. While the Conservative and Labour Parties drew even in early spring 2006, following the May 2006 local elections various polls once again generally showed Conservative leads.^[197][198]

When Gordon Brown became Prime Minister on 27 June 2007, Labour moved ahead and its ratings grew steadily at Cameron's expense, an ICM poll^[199] in July showing Labour with a seven point lead in the wake of controversies over his policies. An ICM poll^[200][201] in September saw Cameron rated the least popular of the three main party leaders. A YouGov poll for Channel 4^[202] one week later, after the Labour Party Conference, extended the Labour lead to 11 points, prompting further speculation of an early election.

Following the Conservative Party Conference in the first week of October 2007, the Conservatives drew level with Labour^[203] When Brown declared he would not call an election for the autumn,^[204] a decline in his and Labour's standings followed. At the end of the year a series of polls showed improved support for the Conservatives^[205] giving them an 11 point lead over Labour. This decreased slightly in early 2008,^[206] and in March the Conservatives had their largest lead in opinion polls since October 1987, at 16 points.^[207] In May 2008, following the worst local election performance from the Labour Party in 40 years, the Conservative lead was up to 26 points, the largest since 1968.^[208]

In December 2008, a ComRes poll showed the Conservative lead had decreased dramatically ^[209] though by February 2009 it had recovered to reach 12 points.^[210] A period of relative stability in the polls was broken in mid-December 2009 and by January 2010 some polls were predicting a hung parliament^[211][212]

A YouGov poll on party leaders conducted on 9–10 June 2011 found 44% of the electorate thought he was doing well and 50% thought he was doing badly, whilst 38% thought he would be the best PM, 23% preferred Ed Miliband and 35% didn't know.^[213]

Until his veto on treaty changes to the European Union in December 2011 amid the Eurozone crisis, most opinion polls that year had shown a slim Labour lead. However, many opinion polls showed that the majority of voters felt that Cameron made the right decision,^[214] Subsequent opinion polls have shown a narrow lead for the Conservatives ahead of Labour.^[215]

Personal life[link]

Cameron married Samantha Gwendoline Sheffield, the daughter of Sir Reginald Adrian Berkeley Sheffield, 8th Baronet and Annabel Lucy Veronica Jones (now The Viscountess Astor), on 1 June 1996 at the Church of St Augustine of Canterbury, East Hendred, Oxfordshire.^[5] The Camerons have had four children. Their first child, Ivan Reginald Ian, was born on 8 April 2002 in Hammersmith and Fulham, London,^[216] with a rare combination of cerebral palsy and a form of severe epilepsy called Ohtahara syndrome, requiring round-the-clock care. Recalling the receipt of this news, Cameron is quoted as saying: "The news hits you like a freight train... You are depressed for a while because you are grieving for the difference between your hopes and the reality. But then you get over that, because he's wonderful."^[217] Ivan died at St Mary's Hospital, Paddington, London, on 25 February 2009, aged six.^[218]

Cameron leaving St Stephen's Club

David and Samantha Cameron have two daughters, Nancy Gwen^[219] (born 2004), and Florence Rose Endellion (born 24 August 2010),^[220] and a son, Arthur Elwen (born 2006).^[221][222] Cameron took paternity leave when his second son was born, and this decision received broad coverage.^[223] It was also stated that Cameron would be taking paternity leave after his second daughter was born.^[220] His second daughter, Florence Rose Endellion, was born on 24 August 2010, three weeks prematurely, while the family was on holiday in Cornwall. Her third given name, Endellion, is taken from the village of St Endellion near where the Camerons were holidaying.^[224][225]