Conservative Party (UK)

The Conservative Party, officially the Conservative and Unionist Party,[12] sometimes informally called the Tories, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom. The governing party since 2010, it is the largest in the House of Commons, with 312 Members of Parliament, and also has 249 members of the House of Lords, 4 members of the European Parliament, 31 Members of the Scottish Parliament, 11 members of the Welsh Assembly, eight members of the London Assembly and 8,916 local councillors.[11]

Conservative and Unionist Party

LeaderBoris JohnsonChairmanJames Cleverly[1]Chief Executive & TreasurerCEO role vacant as of 24 July 2019 (deputy: Mike Chattey)[2]1922 Committee Acting ChairsCharles Walker

Dame Cheryl Gillan1922 CommitteeExecutive SecretaryBob Blackman

Nigel EvansLords LeaderThe Baroness Evans of Bowes ParkFounded1834 (185 years ago)Merger ofTory Party

Liberal Unionist PartyHeadquarters4 Matthew Parker Street

London

SW1H 9HQYouth wingYoung Conservatives[3]Women’s wingConservative Women’s OrganisationOverseas wingConservatives AbroadLGBT+ wingLGBT+ ConservativesMembership (2019) 160,000[4]IdeologyConservatism[5][6]

Economic liberalism[6]

British unionismPolitical positionCentre-right[7][8][9]European affiliationAlliance of Conservatives and Reformists in EuropeInternational affiliationInternational Democrat UnionEuropean Parliament groupEuropean Conservatives and ReformistsColours BlueHouse of Commons

311 / 650

House of Lords[10]

243 / 777

European Parliament

4 / 73

Scottish Parliament

31 / 129

Welsh Assembly

11 / 60

NI Assembly

0 / 90

London Assembly

8 / 25

Local government[11]

7,480 / 20,249

Police and Crime Commissioners

20 / 40

Directly elected mayors

4 / 24

Devolved administrations in government

0 / 3

Websitewww.conservatives.com 

Politics of the United Kingdom

Political parties

Elections

The Conservative Party was founded in 1834 from the Tory Party—the Conservatives’ colloquial name is "Tories"—and was one of two dominant political parties in the nineteenth century, along with the Liberal Party. Under Benjamin Disraeli it played a preeminent role in politics at the height of the British Empire. In 1912, the Liberal Unionist Partymerged with the party to form the Conservative and Unionist Party. In the 1920s, the Labour Partysurpassed the Liberals as the Conservatives’ main rivals. Conservative Prime Ministers — notably Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher — led governments for 57 years of the twentieth century.

Positioned on the centre-right of British politics, the Conservative Party is ideologically conservative. Different factions have dominated the party at different times, including One Nation Conservatives, Thatcherites, and liberal conservatives, while its views and policies have changed throughout its history. The party has generally adopted liberal economic policies—favouring free market economics, limiting state regulation, and pursuing privatisation—although in the past has also supported protectionism. The party is British unionist, opposing both Irish reunification and Welsh and Scottish independence, and historically supported the maintenance of the British Empire. The party includes those with differing views on the European Union, with Eurosceptic and pro-European wings. On social policy, it has historically taken a more socially conservative approach, though this has receded over recent decades. In foreign policy, it favours a strong military capability, being supportive of British participation in NATO.

The Conservatives are a member of the International Democrat Union and the Alliance of Conservatives and Reformists in Europe, and sit with the European Conservatives and Reformists(ECR) parliamentary group. The Scottish, Welsh, Northern Irish and Gibraltarian branches of the party are semi-autonomous. Its support base consists primarily of middle-class voters, especially in rural areas of England, and its domination of British politics throughout the twentieth century has led to it being referred to as one of the most successful political parties in the Western world.[13][14][15]