British Conservative Leaders

CharlesClarke was Member of Parliament for Norwich South from 1997 to 2010. He served asa minister in the Department for Education and then the Home Office beforejoining the Cabinet as Minister Without Portfolio and Labour Party chair. From2002 to 2004 he was Secretary of State for Education and Skills and then HomeSecretary until 2006. Charles now holds visiting professorships at Lancaster Universityand King's College London and co-leads the Baltic Geopolitics Programme atCambridge University.TobyS. James is professor of politics and public policy at the University of EastAnglia and visiting professor at the London School of Economics. He has writtenwidely on democracy, electoral integrity and political leadership. His booksinclude The Trump Administration: The President's Legacy Within andBeyond America.TimBale is professor of politics at Queen Mary University of London. He is authorof The Conservative Party After Brexit: Turmoil and Transformation andco-author of The Modern British Party System and The BritishGeneral Election of 2024.PatrickDiamond is professor of public policy at Queen Mary University of London, aformer government special advisor and author of The British LabourParty in Opposition and Power 1979-2019.

"PutsDavid Cameron's 2015 victory in context - and shows him to be among thegreatest winners in the long history of the Conservative Party." Boris Johnson,UK Prime Minister 2019-22"Thisis a riveting book. It succeeds as a work of history - the best authors ontheir topic of expert knowledge. It succeeds in understanding the ConservativeParty, its flexibility and understanding of power. And, most interestingly, itsucceeds as a reflection on political leadership. Read this if your side hasjust lost an election and wants to win the next one. Read it if your side hasjust won an election and wants to avoid losing the next one. Read it if youdon't have a side." Daniel Finkelstein, columnist at The Times"Ifound this book a fascinating read because it is such a distinctively politicalanalysis of various Conservative leaders and concentrates on their politicalsuccesses or failures as leaders of a party. This gives an intriguing insightinto an essential element of any political leader's career, which is usuallyonly written about as background to the events of the 'reign'. I found theanalysis absorbing." Ken Clarke, former Conservative Cabinet minister"Theessays in this book shine a sharp light on the nature and history of politicalleadership in the Conservative Party, and on how each leader has coped with thespecific challenges facing them. This is an excellent, authoritative volumethat can be warmly recommended for everyone with an interest in Britishpolitics." Andrew Gamble, emeritus professor of politics at the University ofSheffield