Prime Ministers

Question 1

When was David Cameron PM between?

Answer 1

2010-2016

Question 2

What type of Conservatism did Cameron align with?

Answer 2

One Nation Conservatism (more centre right)

Question 3

What were Characteristics of the Cameron government?

Answer 3

First coalition in 70 years with Lim Dem in 2010 (leader = Nick Clegg)

First majority Conservative government in 2 decades

Question 4

What were some highlight Acts passed under Cameron?

Answer 4

Fixed Term Parliaments Act 2011 (repealed)- fixed general election date every 5 years

Academies Act 2010- schools can apply to become academies, which give them more funding

Education Act 2011- provisions about childcare, education, apprenticeship and training.

Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013- allows people of the same sex to get married, whilst also protecting the rights of groups (ie religious groups) who do not agree with same sex marriage

Succession to the Crown Act 2013- ends the system where a younger male can displace an elder daughter in the line of succession

Question 5

What was Cameron’s Austerity plan?

Answer 5

5 year Austerity plan: post global financial crisis of 2008, lots of budget cuts-> reduce budget deficit, stimulate economic growth and job creation
- Over 500,000 lay offs of public sector employees
- Most extensive spending cuts in decades
- But created over 2 million private sector jobs (offset loss of public jobs), but may have not been
the same pay/undone the damage
- Increased homelessnes, unemployment and poverty (hit the poor the most) ie due to impacts like lack of job availability

Question 6

How did Cameron show he wanted to become the greenest government thus far?

Answer 6

Wanted to become the greenest government ever
- World first green investment bank
- Uk led leading role in Paris climate change agreement

Question 7

How did Cameron help establish global links for Britain?

Answer 7

Made it a priority to build stronger relationships with India and China + worked closely with Barack Obama

2011, joined NATO-led coalition against then Libya Leader

UK success in hosting 2012 olympic + paralypmic games

Question 8

How was Cameron’s government democratic?

Answer 8

3 referendums: democratic government
- Alternative vote referendum 2011: national vote on if the current electoral system (FPTP) should change
- 2014: should Scotland be an independant country (campaigned for Scotland to remain)
- 2016: Vote on Brexit (campaigned to remain)
UK voted to leave

He then resigned as MP and PM

Question 9

What was the history of Cameron as Conservative Leader and the Conservative government rule around 2010?

Answer 9

2010- Conservatives out of power for 13 years + maintained deep divisions over membership of the EU
Cameron became party leader in 2005- had lack of experience BUT confidence and media presence + damage of 2008 financial crash to Labour Party helped make Conservative Party the largest party
- Still had to settle for coalition with slim majority, impacting ability to control events

Question 10

What was the State of the Conservative party like for Cameron?

Answer 10

2005 state of Conservative party
- Was demoralised by 3 previous consecutive election defeats
- Divided party + remained divided-> provided major barrier to Cameron becoming dominant leader, but party did unite for need for programme of austerity after 2008 financial crash to be able to govern effectively
BUT constant internal divisions on the UK relationship with the EU, making his party difficult to lead, leading to his downfall

Question 11

What were Cameron’s government’s Key Policy Goals?

Answer 11

• Programme of Austerity: higher taxes + reduced public spending to reduce government financial deficit
  
  • Progressive social policies: ie Same Sex marriage
  • Promoting more devolution, mainly to Scotland
  • Reduce direct taxes on those with very low or very high incomes
  • Targeted reduction in welfare benefits in order to encourage more people to find work
  • Subsidies for pre-school childcare to help families with young children and encourage work
  • Significant rise in the minimum ‘living’ wage
  • Introducing sharp increases un University tuition fees
    Decisions to hold a referendum on the UK’s membership of the EU

Question 12

How did Cameron show he was in control as PM?

Answer 12

• Despite coalition, Cameron was largely able to dominate the Cabinet and follow his own agenda
  
  • Able to implement sweeping ‘austerity’ measures to deal with growing national debt
  • Agreed to hold Brexit referendum, able to force that through parliament
  • Able to campaign and ‘win’ Scottish independence referendum in 2014 through personal persuasion and media appearances
    Able to push through same sex marriage in Parliament, despite some opposition within his own party

Question 13

How did Cameron lack control as PM?

Answer 13

• Unable to remove Lib Dem cabinet members who criticised him, ie Vince Cable
  
  • 2008 global financial crisis would lead to crisis in eurozone, dominating the financial decisions he could make + limiting his options
  • Had to call for referendum, shows inability to control the Eurosceptic wing of party and growing threat of UKIP
  • Cameron had opposed a Scottish independence referendum, but political pressure from the devolved referendum forced him to grant it
    Failed to get parliamentary support for his planned intervention in Syria

Question 14

What was Cameron’s style of leadership like?

Answer 14

• Problems exerting personal power that he would’ve likes to have
  
  • Formed strong bond with Chancellor George Osborne to combat leadership barriers and Home Secretary + eventual successor Theresa May
  • Kept rivals close by avoiding temptation to remove them from government
    Thus such opponents as Michael Gove, Iain Duncan Smith and Boris Johnson remained near the centre of power

Question 15

What were Prominent events for Cameron as PM?

Answer 15

• Cameron’s main achievement may be seen as government’s success in bringing the UK out of recession and stabilising the financial system.
  
  • Also be notable for having kept together a coalition for full 5 years + following election victory
  • Lots of foreign policy setbacks, especially when Parliament restricted his freedom to intervene with Syrian civil war (MPs vetoed military intervention)
    UK referendum on EU membership, loss defining his premiership

Question 16

What were the circumstances of Cameron’s loss of power?

Answer 16

Inevitable he would have to resign following defeat in referendum, campaigning strongly to remain

Question 17

What years was Boris Johnson PM between?

Answer 17

2019-22

Question 18

What were Boris Johnsons previous jobs?

Answer 18

Previously Foreign Secretary (2016-18) and Mayor of London (2008-16)

Question 19

What was the state of the Conservative party just before Johnson?

Answer 19

• Promoted a ‘Hard Brexit’ whilst May struggled to pass her Brexit Withdrawal Agreement, failing 3 times
  
  • 42/60 ministerial resignations under May due to Brexit (party division)
    Party lost support in May, lack of strong leadership and vision for future of Brexit due to repeated loss and division around Brexit agreements.

Question 20

What were Johnson’s Key Policy Goals?

Answer 20

• Wanted to Leave EU by January 2020
  
  • Commitment to leaving EU with or without a deal
  • No income tax, national insurance or VAT rises
  • Pension rise by 2.5% yearly
  • Reach net zero by 2050
  • Introduce points based immigration system
  • Continue roll out of universal credit
    Freeze tuition fees at £9,250

Question 20

How did Johnson show he was in control?

Answer 20

• Delivered Brexit
  
  • Eurosceptics supported him

Question 21

How was Johnson not in control?

Answer 21

• Lots of scandals ie Partygate, Matt Hancock affair, Chris Pincher
  
  • Eventual loss of support amongst MPs, seeing him as electoral liability
    Unlawful prorogation of Parliament

Question 22

What was Johnson’s style of leadership as PM?

Answer 22

• Successful campaigner
  
  • Lack of self reflection as PM, lots of scandals and was defensive, even to his resignation (blaming lots of other MPs)
    Lack of transparency + scandals made him less reliable in the Public eye, lack of taking responsability for it made him seem defensive and untrustworthy

Question 23

What were Prominent events for Johnson as PM?

Answer 23

• Passed Brexit Withdrawal Agreement
  
  • Sanctions on Russia, authorising foreign aid and weapon shipment to Ukraine
  • Partygate
    Covid 19 vaccination programme, one of the fastest in the world

Question 24

What were the circumstances of Johnson’s loss of power?

Answer 24

• Lost support of MPs, similar to Thatcher. Became electoral liability (Conservatives polling around 16 points behind Labour)
  
  • Lack of trust amongst MPs and people
    Investigation into Partygate scandal

Question 25

What were some of Sunak’s Key Policy Goals?

Answer 25

In Sunak’s campaign launch video in 2022, he said he would ‘restore trust, rebuild the economy and reunite the country’. He said that his values were ‘patriotism, fairness, hard work’ and pledged to ‘crack down on gender neutral language’. Liz Truss won in September, but resigned less than 50 days later. Rishi won the October 2022 election.
Sunak outlined five key priorities in January 2023; halving inflation, growing the economy, cutting debt, reducing NHS waiting lists, and stopping the boats.

Question 26

What were Prominent events under Sunak as PM?

Answer 26

Sunak postponed the banning of the sale of petrol and diesel cars to 2035, justifying this as preventing working class families from shouldering ‘unacceptable costs’ of net zero policies. Sunak also cancelled the completion of the HS2 rail line. He pledged to stop the boats, meaning that he wanted to stop illegal migration. He planned to merge A-Levels and T-Levels into a proposed Advanced British Standard qualification.

Question 27

What were the circumstances of Sunak’s Loss of Power?

Answer 27

When he was elected, he also didn’t have much popular support, as only MPs voted him in as there was minimal competition after Truss resigned. Rishi Sunak announced the General Election several months earlier than he needed to, believing that the economic improvements would make the party more popular. He suffered a crushing defeat by the Labour party under Starmer, and resigned on the 5th of July 2024.

Question 28

What was the state of the Conservative Party before Theresa May?

Answer 28

▪ Deep divisions over Brexit with Eurosceptics and pro-EU members

Question 29

What were Prominent events under May?

Answer 29

▪ Triggering Article 50 (2017): Began the formal process of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU.
▪ 2017 General Election: Called a snap election to strengthen her mandate but lost the Conservative majority.
▪ Brexit Negotiations: Focused on negotiating the Withdrawal Agreement, which was repeatedly rejected by Parliament.
▪ Leadership Challenges: Survived a no-confidence vote in 2018 but faced relentless opposition within her party.
Resignation (2019): Announced her resignation after failing to secure parliamentary approval for her Brexit deal.

Question 30

What were the circumstances of May’s loss of power as PM?

Answer 30

▪ Couldn’t pass her Brexit withdrawal agreement - rejected three times
Lost her second Meaningful Vote by 149 votes

Question 31

What was May’s leadership style?

Answer 31

▪ Specifically presented herself as task-oriented and transactional
▪ Utilitarian work ethic
▪ Kept an emotional distance, nicknamed the ‘Maybot’

Question 32

What showed May was in control as PM?

Answer 32

• Survived the no-confidence vote
• Limited immigration

Question 33

What showed May lacked control as PM?

Answer 33

Ø Repeatedly failed to pass her Brexit Withdrawal agreement
Ø Lost her parliamentary majority in 2017 snap election
Ø Rebellion from divisions of her party on Brexit
60 ministers resigned under her government (42 due to Brexit)

Question 34

What was the state of the Conservative Party at the Premiership of Liz Truss?

Answer 34

• Became leader of the Conservative Party on 6th September 2022, succeeding Boris Johnson. She won the leadership contest by a significant margin, defeating Rishi Sunak, her rival, with 57% of the vote among Conservative members
  
  • Assumed office during a period of internal division within the Conservative Party, exacerbated by the fallout from Johnson’s resignation over scandals (such as ‘Partygate’) and the ongoing challenges of Brexit

Question 35

What were some of Truss’ Key Policy Goals?

Answer 35

• Truss’ key economic policy, known as the ‘Trussonomics’ plan, revolved around cutting taxes to stimulate economic growth. This included a £45 billion tax-cutting package, which notably scrapped the planned rise in corporation tax and reduced the highest income tax band
  She also pushed for a more aggressive approach to deregulation, particularly in sectors such as finance and energy, aiming to boost economic growth through market liberalisation and reduced government intervention

Question 36

What was Truss’ style of leadership?

Answer 36

• Truss was known for her decisiveness, taking bold actions quickly (such as her economic plan), but this often led to her being perceived as too isolated from both her Cabinet and party colleagues
  However, she often faced challenges with public communication. Her inability to effectively convey her policies, particularly her economic agenda, led to confusion and criticism. Additionally, her delivery often appeared stiff, especially in media engagements

Question 37

What were Prominent events for Truss as PM?

Answer 37

• Queen Elizabeth II’s Death (8th September 2022) - Truss’ first weeks in office were marked by the death of Queen Elizabeth II and the national period of mourning. While she successfully navigated the public duties associated with the event, her leadership was still very new, and the mood in the country was overwhelmingly sombre
  
  • Mini-Budget and Financial Turmoil (Late September 2022) - A week later, Truss’ “mini-budget” was announced by then Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng. The plan included unfunded tax cuts aimed at boosting growth, however it led to a financial crisis, with the pound crumbling and government borrowing costs soaring, leading to The Bank of England having to intervene to stabilise markets. people’s interest rates rose.
    Resignation of Kwasi Kwarteng (14th October 2022) - After the mini-budget led to major financial market backlash, Kwarteng was forced to resign, and Truss appointed Jeremy Hunt as Chancellor in an effort to stabilise the economy, signalling a shift away from her original hypothetically reformative economic policies

Question 38

What were the circumstances Truss’ loss of power as PM?

Answer 38

• Following the market turmoil caused by the mini-budget, Truss was forced to perform multiple policy reversals, including reversing tax cuts and re-committing to fiscal discipline. This instability undermined her credibility and led to growing dissatisfaction within her party
  
  • By October, Truss’s position had become untenable. Conservative MPs began publicly calling for her resignation, and it became clear that she could not maintain the support of her party. On October 20th, she announced her resignation after just 44 days in office, making her the shortest serving Prime Minister in UK history. Her departure was precipitated by a combination of policy failures, internal party dissent, and plummeting approval ratings
    The short length of her premiership was the subject of much ridicule, most notably from a livestream of a head of lettuce started the week prior to her appointment, inviting viewers to speculate whether Truss would resign before the lettuce wilted