135-816: The Conservative Party Conference ( CPC ) is a four-day national conference event held by the Conservative Party in the United Kingdom . It takes place every year in October during the British party conference season , when the House of Commons is usually in recess. The event's location has alternated between Birmingham's International Convention Centre (ICC) and Manchester's Central Convention Complex since 2008. Previously, it had alternated between Blackpool , Bournemouth and Brighton. In contrast to
270-703: A united Ireland as well as Scottish and Welsh independence , and has been critical of devolution . Historically, the party supported the continuance and maintenance of the British Empire . The party has taken various approaches towards the European Union (EU), with eurosceptic and, to a decreasing extent, pro-European factions within it. Historically, the party took a socially conservative approach. In defence policy, it supports an independent nuclear weapons programme and commitment to NATO membership. For much of modern British political history,
405-524: A " refugee crisis ," and made a defence of EU membership . At the 2016 conference in Birmingham, Prime Minister Theresa May addressed the conference on its opening day in her speech "Global Britain: Making a success of Brexit ." At the 2017 conference in Manchester, May suffered from a combination of a prankster handing her a P45 , Philip Hammond giving her a lozenge for a hacking cough, and
540-554: A 17.4% swing to Labour. Symbolising the loss of the election by the Conservative Party, it has been referred to as "the Portillo moment ", and in the cliché "Were you up for Portillo?" (i.e., "Were you awake/did you see Portillo's result announced on television?") In 2010, Portillo wrote: "I had hoped for something better than Were You Still Up for Portillo? Now I feel lucky to have been ejected. I discovered that there
675-448: A Brexit deal represented a compromise from the government to the EU, and that the alternative would be a no deal Brexit , stating that Parliament "refuses to deliver Brexit, refuses to do anything constructive and refuses to have an election." He called Labour a party of " fratricidal antisemitic Marxists ". The 2020 conference was initially intended to be held in Birmingham. In July 2020,
810-503: A Friday evening programme on politics, culture and history. Since 1998, Portillo has been a Commissioner of the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP). He is President of DEBRA , a British charity working on behalf of people with epidermolysis bullosa (EB), a genetic skin blistering condition. Portillo served as chairman of the 2008 Man Booker Prize committee. In 2011, Portillo became chairman of
945-540: A coalition with the Liberal Democrats —the first postwar coalition government . Cameron's premiership was marked by the ongoing effects of the 2007–2008 financial crisis ; these involved a large deficit in government finances that his government sought to reduce through controversial austerity measures . In September 2014, the Unionist side, championed by Labour as well as by the Conservative Party and
1080-465: A coalition government. Labour won the October 1974 election with an overall majority of three seats. Loss of power weakened Heath's control over the party and Margaret Thatcher deposed him in the 1975 leadership election . Thatcher led her party to victory at the 1979 general election with a manifesto which concentrated on the party's philosophy. As Prime Minister, Thatcher focused on rejecting
1215-486: A consistently right-of-centre line (exemplified by his insistence, in a well-publicised speech, on placing "clear blue water" between the policies of the Conservatives and other parties ) and was favoured by Norman Tebbit and Margaret Thatcher, who said of him "[W]e expect great things of you, do not disappoint us". His rise continued under John Major ; he was made a Cabinet Minister in 1992 as Chief Secretary to
1350-519: A discussion series called Dinner with Portillo on BBC Four , in which political and social questions were explored by Portillo and his seven guests over a four-course meal. His guests included Bianca Jagger , Grayson Perry , Francis Wheen , Seymour Hersh , PD James , Baroness Williams , George Galloway , Benazir Bhutto and Germaine Greer . In 2007, he participated in the BBC television project The Verdict , serving, with other well known figures, as
1485-462: A four-part series that premiered 23 August 2022. In early 2022, Portillo filled a guest spot on the GB News show, The Political Correction , after which he was invited to host his own weekend political show Portillo , which started airing on 2 October 2022. During the winter of 2023, Portillo's Andalucia , a six-part travelogue series aired on Channel 5 , with the channel going on to commission
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#17327728760021620-466: A jury member hearing a fictional rape case. He was elected as the jury's foreman. The documentary How To Kill a Human Being in the Horizon series featured Portillo carrying out a survey of capital punishment methods (including undertaking some near death experiences himself), in an attempt to find an 'acceptable' form of capital punishment . It was broadcast on BBC Two on 15 January 2008. He made
1755-408: A leadership challenge in 1995 by Redwood, but Redwood received 89 votes, further undermining Major's influence. The Conservative government was increasingly accused in the media of " sleaze ". Their support reached its lowest ebb in late 1994. Over the next two years the Conservatives gained some credit for the strong economic recovery and fall in unemployment. But an effective opposition campaign by
1890-555: A letter on the set falling off behind her during her speech. At the 2018 conference, May danced onto the stage for her speech on 3 October to ABBA 's Dancing Queen in reference to her previous dancing during a visit to South Africa , and also made reference to the letter that had fallen from the backdrop at the 2017 event. During the speech, she made several policy pledges including the end of austerity , lifting caps on local authorities borrowing to build new council houses , setting new targets for early cancer detection and continuing
2025-428: A narrow victory at the 1951 general election , despite losing the popular vote, Churchill was back in power. Apart from rationing, which was ended in 1954, most of the welfare state enacted by Labour were accepted by the Conservatives and became part of the "post-war consensus" that was satirised as Butskellism and that lasted until the 1970s. The Conservatives were conciliatory towards unions, but they did privatise
2160-513: A net gain of one seat for the Conservative Party and returned a mostly unscathed Labour Party back to government. This all occurred months after the fuel protests of September 2000 had seen the Conservatives briefly take a narrow lead over Labour in the opinion polls. In 2001, Iain Duncan Smith was elected leader of the party. Although Duncan Smith was a strong Eurosceptic , during his tenure, Europe ceased to be an issue of division in
2295-556: A new BBC travel documentary series Great American Railroad Journeys , which saw him travelling across the United States by rail. Other similar series followed: Great Indian Railway Journeys from 2018 and Great Alaskan and Canadian Railroad Journeys , which started airing in January 2019. A series Great Australian Railway Journeys began airing on BBC2 on 26 October 2019, with six journeys across Australia . This
2430-618: A new arts endowment fund supported by the Arts Council , the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport . Applicants could bid for grants of between £500,000 and £5m, which were to be matched from the private sector. The fund, which operated under the title "Catalyst: Endowments", made 31 awards over the two years 2012–13 totalling £36 million. Recipients included Dulwich Picture Gallery ,
2565-525: A person to have two surnames) his Spanish passport names him as Miguel Portillo Blyth . Portillo's now well-known "love affair with trains" started when he was a youth. He owned a clockwork train set , and envied friends who had electric ones. Additionally, his mother took him on 13-hour trips from London to Kirkcaldy aboard a steam-hauled night train , the Starlight Special , to visit his British grandparents, and he had summer holidays on
2700-571: A political comeback that won them the 1951 general election . In 1947, the party published its Industrial Charter which marked its acceptance of the " post-war consensus " on the mixed economy and labour rights . David Maxwell Fyfe chaired a committee into Conservative Party organisation that resulted in the Maxwell Fyfe Report (1948–49). The report required the party to do more fundraising, by forbidding constituency associations from demanding large donations from candidates, with
2835-589: A political show Portillo for the British news channel GB News . Portillo was born in Bushey , Hertfordshire, on 26 May 1953 to an exiled Spanish republican father, Luis Gabriel Portillo (1907–1993) and a Scottish mother, Cora Waldegrave de Portillo ( née Blyth; 1919–2014). Portillo's father, a devout Catholic , was a member of left-wing movements in the 1930s and fled Madrid when it fell to General Franco in 1939, settling in England. He became head of
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#17327728760022970-599: A protest of up to 60 thousand anti-austerity protestors marched in Manchester, with a small group of protesters egging a young Conservative member attending the event. Party chairman Andrew Feldman had emailed members to remove their Conservative Party branded identification badges when outside the venue. Theresa May made her speech on 6 October, and Cameron made his speech on 7 October. During his speech, he attacked Labour for not helping working people, labelled Jeremy Corbyn as soft on ISIS and Osama bin Laden , addressed
3105-587: A referendum that he then lost." He also condemned Theresa May 's 2018 " Chequers plan " for exit negotiations as "the most dreadful betrayal, and if I had been a member of the Cabinet, I would have been one of the ones who would have quit over the weekend." In September 2002, Portillo became a non-executive director of the multinational defence contractor BAE Systems . He stepped down from that position in March 2006, owing to potential conflicts of interest . He
3240-618: A regular column for The Sunday Times , contributes to other journals (he was a theatre critic for the New Statesman until May 2006), and is a regular radio broadcaster on UK radio. He is a long-serving member of the panel in the BBC Radio 4 series The Moral Maze . In September 2011, he presented a two-part series on BBC Radio 4 called Capitalism on Trial . He has also presented a history series on BBC Radio 4 called The Things We Forgot to Remember . In June 2013, he presented
3375-405: A return to "decency" and "courtesy" in his speech at the 1993 conference. The Conservatives were projected to lose the next electin in 1995. In his speech at the 1995 conference, defense secretary and leadership hopeful Michael Portillo said in his speech that "The SAS has a famous motto: Who dares wins . We will dare, we will win.” This was disliked by the wider public, and Portillo later said
3510-509: A second Horizon documentary, titled How Violent Are You? , broadcast on 12 May 2009. In 2008, Portillo made a documentary as part of the BBC Headroom campaign, which explored mental health issues. Portillo's documentary Michael Portillo: Death of a School Friend explores how the suicide of Portillo's classmate Gary Findon affected Findon's parents, brother, music teachers, schoolteachers, classmates, and Portillo himself. The programme
3645-464: A series of 90 minute travelogues set around various European cites. The first three programmes were broadcast under the title Michael Portillo’s Long Weekends from 19 April 2024, with Madrid, Prague and Milan being featured. From 17 August 2024, the next three programmes in the series were broadcast on Channel 5 under the titles Sicily with Michael Portillo , Lisbon with Michael Portillo , and Stockholm with Michael Portillo . Portillo has written
3780-528: A series of twelve 15-minute radio programmes (following the daily World at One news programme) on BBC Radio 4 called 1913 – the Year Before , about the state of Britain in the years preceding World War I , challenging the view that these years were optimistic and cheerful. On 7 May 2020, it was announced that Portillo would join the new digital station Times Radio , which launched in June 2020. He hosted
3915-528: A shock to many politicians and commentators, and came to symbolise the extent of the Labour landslide victory. Halfway through the campaign, Portillo invited aides Andrew Cooper and Michael Simmonds to his house and presented them with some ideas for a leadership campaign following the expected Conservative defeat and asked them to finish it off. However, when a poll in The Observer on the weekend before
4050-429: A sizable discount. The new owners were more likely to vote Conservative, as Thatcher had hoped. Thatcher led the Conservatives to two further electoral victories in 1983 and 1987 . She was deeply unpopular in certain sections of society due to high unemployment and her response to the miners' strike . Unemployment had doubled between 1979 and 1982, largely due to Thatcher's monetarist battle against inflation. At
4185-559: A total of thirteen series. He also presented a similar television series, Great Continental Railway Journeys , which followed Portillo around continental Europe. A second series was broadcast in 2013, and to date there has been a total of six series. In 2014, as part of the BBC's World War I commemorations, Portillo presented Railways of the Great War with Michael Portillo over five nights in August 2014. In early 2016, Portillo began
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4320-462: A wide range of television and radio programmes. Portillo's passion for steam trains led him to make the BBC documentary series Great British Railway Journeys , beginning in 2010, in which he travels the British railway networks, referring to various editions of Bradshaw's Guide . The success of the show led Portillo to present series about railway systems in other countries. In 2022 he began to present
4455-480: Is a man, and a woman is a woman". The 2024 conference was held in Birmingham from 29 September to 2 October, and followed the defeat of the Conservative Party at the general election of July 2024, and the resignation of Rishi Sunak as the party leader. The conference was used by leadership hopefuls in the 2024 Conservative Party leadership election as a 'beauty parade' for the candidates. Conservative Party (UK) The Conservative and Unionist Party , commonly
4590-426: Is life and livelihood outside Westminster." Following the election, Portillo renewed his attachment to Kerr-McGee, but also undertook substantial media work, including programmes for the BBC and Channel 4 . In an interview with The Times given in 1999, Portillo said that "I had some homosexual experiences as a young person." A few weeks after he had given that interview, the death of Alan Clark gave Portillo
4725-550: The Quarterly Review in 1830. The name immediately caught on and was formally adopted under the aegis of Robert Peel around 1834. Peel is acknowledged as the founder of the Conservative Party, which he created with the announcement of the Tamworth Manifesto . The term "Conservative Party" rather than Tory was the dominant usage by 1845. The widening of the electoral franchise in the 19th century forced
4860-501: The 1995 leadership challenge of John Redwood , following Major's "back me or sack me" resignation as party leader. Many urged Portillo, the "darling of the right", to run against Major. He declined to enter the first round, but planned to challenge Major if the contest went to a second round. To this end, he set up a potential campaign headquarters, with banks of telephone lines. He later admitted that this had been an error: "I did not want to oppose [Major], but neither did I want to close
4995-432: The 2005 general election , the Conservative Party increased their total vote share and—more significantly—their number of parliamentary seats, reducing Labour's majority. The day following the election, Howard resigned. David Cameron won the 2005 leadership election . He then announced his intention to reform and realign the Conservatives. For most of 2006 and the first half of 2007, polls showed leads over Labour for
5130-549: The BBC weekly political discussion programme This Week with Andrew Neil , and, until September 2010, Labour MP Diane Abbott . Portillo has featured in a number of television documentaries. including one in Spain: Great Railway Journeys: From Granada to Salamanca , for BBC Two (1999) and one about Richard Wagner . In 2006 he made a programme on Spanish wildlife for BBC Two's The Natural World series. For an episode of
5265-592: The Community Charge (known by its opponents as the poll tax ) in 1989 is often cited as contributing to her political downfall. Internal party tensions led to a leadership challenge by the Conservative MP Michael Heseltine and she resigned on 28 November 1990. John Major won the party leadership election on 27 November 1990, and his appointment led to an almost immediate boost in Conservative Party fortunes. The election
5400-534: The Conservative Party and colloquially known as the Tories , is one of the two main political parties in the United Kingdom , along with the Labour Party . Following defeat by Labour in the 2024 general election , it is currently the second largest political party by the number of votes cast and number of seats in the House of Commons , followed by the Liberal Democrats . As the second largest party, it has
5535-584: The Enfield Southgate by-election , following the death of the incumbent, Sir Anthony Berry , in the bombing of the Grand Hotel, Brighton by the IRA . Initially, he was a Parliamentary Private Secretary to John Moore , and then an assistant whip . In 1987, Portillo was given his first ministerial post, as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Social Security ; the following year, he
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5670-539: The House of Commons in a 1984 by-election , Portillo served as a junior minister under both Margaret Thatcher and John Major , before entering the Cabinet in 1992 as Chief Secretary to the Treasury . He was promoted to Secretary of State for Employment in 1994. A Thatcherite and a Eurosceptic , he was seen as a likely challenger to Major during the 1995 Conservative leadership election , but did not stand, and
5805-884: The House of Commons on 3 September 2019. Later that same day, 21 Conservative MPs had the Conservative whip withdrawn after voting with the Opposition to grant the House of Commons control over its order paper. Johnson would later halt the Withdrawal Agreement Bill , calling for a general election. The 2019 general election resulted in the Conservatives winning a majority, the Party's largest since 1987 . The party won several constituencies, particularly in formerly traditional Labour seats . On 20 December 2019, MPs passed an agreement for withdrawing from
5940-542: The Isle of Wight , where he "loved" the steam railway between Ryde and Ventnor . In 1961, aged 8, Portillo appeared in a television advertisement for Ribena , a blackcurrant cordial drink. He was educated at Stanburn Primary School in Stanmore , Greater London, and Harrow County School for Boys and was awarded a scholarship to Peterhouse, Cambridge , where he studied history. While at school Portillo had supported
6075-597: The Liberals were mostly against the war until the invasion of Belgium, Conservative leaders were strongly in favour of aiding France and stopping Germany. The Liberal party was in full control of the government until its mismanagement of the war effort under the Shell Crisis badly hurt its reputation. An all-party coalition government was formed in May 1915. In late 1916 Liberal David Lloyd George became prime minister but
6210-793: The Mary Rose Trust , Lincoln Cathedral and the Severn Valley Railway . Portillo is the British chairman of the Anglo-Spanish organisation Tertulias , which organises annual meetings between the two countries. He is also an Honorary Vice-President of Canning House , the Hispanic and Luso Brazilian Council. He has a home in Carmona in Andalusia . Portillo has a strong interest in contemporary visual arts and
6345-638: The Shadow cabinet as Deputy Leader and Shadow Chancellor . On 3 February, Portillo stood opposite the Chancellor of the Exchequer , Gordon Brown , in the House of Commons for the first time in his new role. During this session, Portillo declared that a future Conservative government would enhance the independence of the Bank of England and increase its accountability to Parliament, and that it would not repeal
6480-408: The cost of living crisis , including price caps on energy bills and government help to pay them. Truss's mini-budget on 23 September faced severe criticism and markets reacted poorly; the pound fell to a record low of 1.03 against the dollar, and UK government gilt yields rose to 4.3 per cent, prompting the Bank of England to trigger an emergency bond-buying programme. After condemnation from
6615-587: The national minimum wage . Following the 2001 general election , Portillo contested the leadership of the party. In the first ballot of Conservative MPs, he led well. However, there followed press stories, including references to his previous homosexual experiences and to his equivocation at the time of Major's 1995 resignation. He was knocked out in the final round of voting by Conservative MPs, his sexual history – according to Kenneth Clarke – having damaged his chances, leaving party members to choose between Iain Duncan Smith and Kenneth Clarke . When Duncan Smith
6750-467: The " anti-growth coalition ," which she said included opposition parties, unions and environmental campaigners . The speech was interrupted by Greenpeace protesters. Mel B appeared at the conference to appeal for support for domestic abuse victims. The 2023 conference was held in Manchester from 1 to 4 October, and was the first to be held with Rishi Sunak as leader of the party. Prior to
6885-413: The 1780s. They were known as "Independent Whigs", " Friends of Mr Pitt ", or "Pittites" and never used terms such as "Tory" or "Conservative". From about 1812, the name "Tory" was commonly used for a new party that, according to historian Robert Blake, "are the ancestors of Conservatism". Blake adds that Pitt's successors after 1812 "were not in any sense standard-bearers of 'true Toryism'". The term Tory
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#17327728760027020-428: The 1950s and early 1960s. The Suez Crisis of 1956 was a humiliating defeat for Prime Minister Eden, but his successor, Macmillan, minimised the damage and focused attention on domestic issues and prosperity. Following controversy over the selections of Harold Macmillan and Alec Douglas-Home via a process of consultation known as the 'Magic Circle', a formal election process was created and the first leadership election
7155-543: The 2003 BBC Two series My Week In The Real World , in which politicians stepped into the shoes of members of the public, Portillo took over, for one week, the life, family and income of a single mother living on benefits in Wallasey . He chose to present Queen Elizabeth I for the BBC's series of Great Britons in 2002. In 2005 he presented the lavish BBC documentary re-telling of the story of Lord Nelson , Nelson's Trafalgar (2005). Between 2002 and 2007, he presented
7290-578: The 20th century made it one of the most successful political parties in the Western world . The most recent period of Conservative government was marked by extraordinary political turmoil. Some writers trace the party's origins to the Tory Party , which it soon replaced. Other historians point to a faction, rooted in the 18th century Whig Party , that coalesced around William Pitt the Younger in
7425-575: The Commons in the 1999 by-election in Kensington and Chelsea , Portillo rejoined the frontbench as Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer . Standing for the leadership of the party in 2001 , he came in third place behind Iain Duncan Smith and Kenneth Clarke . He retired from the House of Commons and from active politics at the 2005 general election . Since leaving politics, Portillo has pursued his media interests by presenting and participating in
7560-473: The Conservative Party , including allegations against its policies, fringes, and structure, was often in the public eye. These include allegations against senior politicians such as Boris Johnson , Michael Gove , Theresa May , and Zac Goldsmith . During the period of the Cameron and Johnson governments, a number of Conservative MPs have been accused or convicted of sexual misconduct, with cases including
7695-591: The Conservative Party to popularise its approach under Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby and Benjamin Disraeli , who carried through their own expansion of the franchise with the Reform Act of 1867 . The party was initially opposed to further expansion of the electorate but eventually allowed passage of Gladstone's 1884 Reform Act . In 1886, the party formed an alliance with Spencer Cavendish and Joseph Chamberlain 's new Liberal Unionist Party and, under
7830-610: The Conservative Party, he was Member of Parliament (MP) for Enfield Southgate from 1984 to 1997 and Kensington and Chelsea from 1999 to 2005 . Portillo obtained a first-class degree in history from the University of Cambridge , having been a student at Peterhouse . He began his working life as a graduate trainee with the transport company Ocean Group plc , before joining the Conservative Research Department (CRD) in 1976. First elected to
7965-557: The Conservative victory in 1979 , he became a government adviser to David Howell at the Department of Energy . He left to work for Kerr-McGee Oil between 1981 and 1983. In the 1983 general election , he fought his first electoral contest, in the Labour-held seat of Birmingham Perry Barr , losing to the incumbent Jeff Rooker . Portillo returned to advisory work for the government, and, in December 1984, he stood for and won
8100-551: The Conservative whip at Westminster, essentially forming the Irish wing of the party until 1922. In Britain, the Conservative party was known as the Unionist Party because of its opposition to home rule. Under Bonar Law 's leadership in 1911–1914, the Party morale improved, the "radical right" wing was contained, and the party machinery strengthened. It made some progress toward developing constructive social policies. While
8235-422: The Conservatives amidst the crisis. Michael Portillo Michael Denzil Xavier Portillo FRSGS ( / p ɔːr ˈ t ɪ l oʊ / por- TIL -oh ; born 26 May 1953) is a British journalist, broadcaster, and former Conservative Party politician. His broadcast series include railway documentaries such as Great British Railway Journeys and Great Continental Railway Journeys . A former member of
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#17327728760028370-750: The Conservatives. Polls became more volatile in summer 2007 with the accession of Gordon Brown as Prime Minister. The Conservatives gained control of the London mayoralty for the first time in 2008 after Boris Johnson defeated the Labour incumbent, Ken Livingstone . In May 2010 the Conservative Party came to government, first under a coalition with the Liberal Democrats and later as a series of majority and minority governments. During this period there were five Conservative Prime Ministers: David Cameron, Theresa May, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, and Rishi Sunak. The initial period of this time, primarily under
8505-546: The ERM, a day thereafter referred to as Black Wednesday . Soon after, approximately one million householders faced repossession of their homes during a recession that saw a sharp rise in unemployment, taking it close to 3 million people. The party subsequently lost much of its reputation for good financial stewardship. The end of the recession was declared in April 1993. From 1994 to 1997, Major privatised British Rail . The party
8640-429: The EU referendum vote, and through the premierships of May, Boris Johnson, and their successors, the party shifted right on the political spectrum. In July 2019 Boris Johnson became Leader of the party. He became Prime Minister the next day. Johnson had made withdrawal from the EU by 31 October "with no ifs, buts or maybes" a key pledge during his campaign for party leadership . Johnson lost his working majority in
8775-498: The EU. On 24 June 2016, Cameron announced his intention to resign as Prime Minister, after he failed to convince the British public to stay in the European Union . On 11 July 2016, Theresa May became the leader of the Conservative Party. May promised social reform and a more centrist political outlook for the Conservative Party and its government. May's early cabinet appointments were interpreted as an effort to reunite
8910-898: The EU; the United Kingdom formally left on 31 January 2020. Johnson presided over the UK's response to the COVID-19 pandemic . From late 2021 onwards, Johnson received huge public backlash for the Partygate scandal, in which staff and senior members of government were pictured holding gatherings during lockdown contrary to Government guidance. The Metropolitan Police eventually fined Johnson for breaking lockdown rules in April 2022. In July 2022, Johnson admitted to appointing Chris Pincher as deputy chief whip while being aware of allegations of sexual assault against him. This, along with Partygate and increasing criticisms on Johnson's handling of
9045-416: The Irish question, socialism, electoral reform, and the issue of intervention in the economy. The fresh emphasis on anti-Socialism was its response to the growing strength of the Labour Party. When electoral reform was an issue, it worked to protect their base in rural England. It aggressively sought female voters in the 1920s, often relying on patriotic themes. In 1922, Bonar Law and Stanley Baldwin led
9180-427: The Labour Party culminated in a landslide defeat for the Conservatives in 1997 , their worst defeat since the 1906 general election . The 1997 election left the Conservative Party as an England-only party, with all Scottish and Welsh seats having been lost, and not a single new seat having been gained anywhere. Major resigned as party leader and was succeeded by William Hague . The 2001 general election resulted in
9315-579: The Liberal Democrat Conference, where every party member attending its Conference , either in-person or online, has the right to vote on party policy, under a one-member, one vote system, or the Labour Party Conference , where 50% of votes are allocated to affiliated organisations (such as trade unions), and in which all voting is restricted to nominated representatives (known as delegates), the Conservative Party Conference does not hold votes on party policy. The conference, which consists of fringe events, receptions, and speeches, gives Conservative Party members,
9450-413: The Liberal Democrats, won in the Scottish Independence referendum by 55% No to 45% Yes on the question "Should Scotland be an independent country". At the 2015 general election , the Conservatives formed a majority government under Cameron. After speculation of a referendum on the UK's EU membership throughout his premiership, a vote was announced for June 2016 in which Cameron campaigned to remain in
9585-414: The Liberal Party and the Labour Party ( National Labour and National Liberals ). In May 1940 a more balanced coalition was formed —the National Government —which, under the leadership of Winston Churchill , saw the United Kingdom through the Second World War. However, the party lost the 1945 general election in a landslide to the resurgent Labour Party. The concept of the "property-owning democracy"
9720-474: The Liberals soon split and the Conservatives dominated the government, especially after their landslide in the 1918 election . The Liberal party never recovered, but Labour gained strength after 1920. Nigel Keohane finds that the Conservatives were bitterly divided before 1914 but the war pulled the party together, allowing it to emphasise patriotism as it found new leadership and worked out its positions on
9855-659: The London Diplomatic Office of the Government in Exile in 1972. Portillo's maternal grandfather, John Waldegrave Blyth (1873–1962), was a prosperous linen manufacturer from Kirkcaldy , who left an art collection worth millions to the Kirkcaldy Galleries . Portillo was registered as a Spanish citizen at the age of four, and in accordance with Spanish naming customs (which require
9990-487: The Manchester leg of the High Speed 2 (HS2) railway was prevalent in the conference due to leaks that its cancellation was under review. A speech by former party leader Liz Truss on 2 October, described by The New York Times as "well-attended", argued that corporation tax should be cut. During a speech by Suella Braverman , elected Conservative London Assembly member and LGBT+ Conservatives patron Andrew Boff
10125-528: The Treasury and was admitted to the Privy Council the same year. He subsequently became Secretary of State for Employment (1994–95), and then Secretary of State for Defence (1995–1997). As Defence Secretary, Portillo became the object of criticism when he invoked the motto of the SAS , "Who Dares, Wins" , at a speech at the 1995 Conservative Party annual conference. In 1996 his ministry undertook
10260-785: The Unionists worked hard at grassroots organizing. Two general elections were held in 1910, in January and in December . The two main parties were now almost dead equal in seats, but the Liberals kept control with a coalition with the Irish Parliamentary Party . In 1912, the Liberal Unionists merged with the Conservative Party. In Ireland, the Irish Unionist Alliance had been formed in 1891 which merged Unionists who were opposed to Irish Home Rule into one political movement. Its MPs took
10395-512: The United Kingdom exhibited a wide urban–rural political divide ; the Conservative Party's voting and financial support base has historically consisted primarily of homeowners , business owners , farmers , real estate developers and middle class voters, especially in rural and suburban areas of England . Since the EU referendum in 2016, the Conservatives targeted working class voters from traditional Labour strongholds. The Conservatives' domination of British politics throughout
10530-437: The breakup of the coalition, and the Conservatives governed until 1923, when a minority Labour government led by Ramsay MacDonald came to power. The Conservatives regained power in 1924 but were defeated in 1929 as a minority Labour government took office. In 1931, following the collapse of the Labour minority government, it entered another coalition, which was dominated by the Conservatives with some support from factions of both
10665-454: The cause of the Labour Party ; he attributed his embrace of conservatism at Cambridge to the influence of the right-wing Peterhouse historian Maurice Cowling . In 1982, Portillo married Carolyn Claire Eadie. Portillo graduated in 1975 with a first-class degree in history, and, after a brief stint with Ocean Transport and Trading Ltd. , a shipping and transport company, he joined the Conservative Research Department in 1976. Following
10800-510: The conference begin at 9:30 a.m., and in her speech she stated "this attack has failed. All attempts to destroy democracy by terrorism will fail." The 1992 conference followed a surprise victory in the 1992 general election . In his speech which promised that the government’s welfare reforms would stop benefit fraud , social security secretary Peter Lilley adapted the “little list” song from Gilbert and Sullivan ’s “ The Mikado .” John Major spoke about returning "back to basics", and called for
10935-811: The conference period. The chairman of the Conservative Party Conference is always the current president of the National Conservative Convention , the parliament of the Voluntary Party. The National Convention meets twice a year—its Annual General Meeting is usually held at Spring Forum, with another meeting usually held at the Party Conference. Since 2017, the Democratic Unionist Party has hosted an annual reception at
11070-519: The conference that Britain would trigger Article 16 safeguard measures in the Northern Ireland Protocol if the European Union failed to agree to changes to smooth trade with Northern Ireland. Iain Duncan Smith was allegedly assaulted on the way to the conference by a group of five protesters using a traffic cone . Two Windrush campaigners were refused access to the conference on 4 October due to concerns that they may protest in
11205-753: The conference, owing to the alliance between the two parties in the 2017–2019 parliament. The 1953 conference took place in Margate . Winston Churchill 's speech took place on 10 October. He had recovered from an acute stroke in June of the same year; Anthony Eden wrote in his diary that Churchill intended to use his speech at the conference to "try himself out," before he returned to work in Parliament. He had initially written an hour long speech of 4000 words, but reduced this to 50 minutes following advice from his doctor Charles Wilson, 1st Baron Moran , who also prescribed him either Edrisal or Drinamyl tablets. He
11340-400: The consumption of pornography in parliament, rape, groping, and sexual harassment. In 2017, a list of 36 sitting Conservative MPs accused of inappropriate sexual behaviour was leaked. The list is believed to have been compiled by party staff. Following accusations of multiple cases of rape against an unnamed Tory MP in 2023 and allegations of a cover-up, Baroness Warsi , who has served as
11475-408: The cost-of-living crisis, provoked a government crisis following a loss in confidence and nearly 60 resignations from government officials, eventually leading to Johnson announcing his resignation on 7 July. Boris Johnson's successor as leader was confirmed as Liz Truss on 5 September, following a leadership election . In a strategy labelled Trussonomics she introduced policies in response to
11610-405: The election showed that Portillo held only a three-point lead in his hitherto- safe seat , Portillo asked Cooper, who oversaw the party's internal polling, to reassure him that it was wrong; Cooper was unable to and Portillo began to think that he might lose. He was interviewed by Jeremy Paxman on election night, prior to the result being called in his own seat. Paxman opened the interview with
11745-580: The event in July 2023, conference organisers dropped plans to charge journalists £137 each to attend, following a letter to the party signed by news organisations protesting the change. In September, the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen announced train driver strikes targeting the conference on September 30 and October 4, as well as a ban on drivers' overtime work on September 29, and between October 2 and October 6. Discussion of
11880-640: The exit poll was predicting a 160 seat majority for Labour. I thought, "when is Paxman going to ask me have I lost my seat?", because I deduced from that that I had. I then drove the car to my constituency and I knew I'd lost. But I also saw David Mellor . David Mellor had this really bad tempered spat with Jimmy Goldsmith [after the Putney election results had been announced]. I saw this and I thought if there's one thing I do when I lose, I'm going to lose with as much dignity as I can muster and not be like this David Mellor—Goldsmith thing. Portillo's defeat represented
12015-469: The floor and formally joined the Liberal Party (he rejoined the Conservatives in 1925). In December, Balfour lost control of his party, as the defections multiplied. He was replaced by Liberal Prime Minister Henry Campbell-Bannerman who called an election in January 1906 , which produced a massive Liberal victory. Liberal Prime Minister H. H. Asquith enacted a great deal of reform legislation, but
12150-592: The formal parliamentary role of the Official Opposition . The party sits on the right-wing to centre-right of the political spectrum. It encompasses various ideological factions including one-nation conservatives , Thatcherites , and traditionalist conservatives . There have been twenty Conservative prime ministers . The party traditionally holds the annual Conservative Party Conference during party conference season , at which senior Conservative figures promote party policy. The Conservative Party
12285-707: The freeze on fuel duty . Kong Linlin, a Chinese state journalist with CCTV+ , was charged with common assault after an incident at the conference during an event on the “erosion of freedom” of Hong Kong ; the case was discontinued on the advice of the Crown Prosecution Service and the Embassy of China in London commented on the incident. An app developed for the conference, announced by party chairman Brandon Lewis as "the first 'interactive' conference app", led to leaks of members' phone numbers including that of Boris Johnson . The 2019 conference
12420-450: The intention of broadening the diversity of MPs. In practice, it may have had the effect of lending more power to constituency parties and making candidates more uniform. Winston Churchill , the party leader, brought in a Party chairman to modernise the party: Frederick Marquis, 1st Earl of Woolton rebuilt the local organisations with an emphasis on membership, money, and a unified national propaganda appeal on critical issues. With
12555-404: The last century. David Cameron sought to modernise the Conservatives after his election as leader in 2005, and the party governed from 2010 to 2024 under five prime ministers, latterly Rishi Sunak . The party has generally adopted liberal economic policies favouring free markets since the 1980s, although historically it advocated for protectionism . The party is British unionist , opposing
12690-471: The late 1940s but was too great a challenge to the post-war consensus to win Conservative endorsement. Thatcher favoured the idea because it would lead to a "property-owning democracy", an important idea that had emerged in the 1920s. Some local Conservative-run councils enacted profitable local sales schemes during the late 1960s. By the 1970s, many working-class people could afford to buy homes, and eagerly adopted Thatcher's invitation to purchase their homes at
12825-723: The mild liberalism of the post-war consensus that tolerated or encouraged nationalisation, strong labour unions, heavy regulation, and high taxes. She did not challenge the National Health Service , and supported the Cold War policies of the consensus, but otherwise tried to dismantle and delegitimise it. She built a right-wing political ideology that became known as Thatcherism , based on social and economic ideas from British and American intellectuals such as Friedrich Hayek and Milton Friedman . Thatcher believed that too much socially democratic-oriented government policy
12960-518: The most powerful LGBT+ figures in British politics. Talking to Andrew Neil on This Week in May 2016, he gave his views on the effectiveness of David Cameron 's government and its legislative plans as described in the Queen's speech : "After 23 years of careful thought about what they would like to do in power ... the answer is nothing", a description which The Guardian described as "elegant". Portillo supported Brexit , though he also expressed
13095-464: The opinion that the 2016 Brexit referendum "absolutely does not fit with" the British system of parliamentary sovereignty , and that "parliament has the right to interpret" the result. In a 2016 television discussion he said that "because of the catastrophic blunder committed by David Cameron , [Nigel] Farage deserves a place in history" because "he spooked the Prime Minister into holding
13230-506: The opportunity to return to Parliament, despite Lord Tebbit accusing Portillo of lying about the extent of his sexual "deviance", and similar comments from an associate included in a profile of Portillo in The Guardian newspaper. He comfortably won the by-election in late November 1999 to represent Kensington and Chelsea , traditionally one of the safest Conservative seats. On 1 February 2000, William Hague promoted Portillo to
13365-416: The party announced that it would be held in an online format due to the COVID-19 pandemic , with key events livestreamed. Johnson's speech was held on 6 October. During the speech, he refuted rumours concerning his health, stated he would "fix the injustice of care home funding," and "fix our broken housing market ." The 2021 conference, held in Manchester, was also headed by Johnson. David Frost told
13500-474: The party as it united behind calls for a referendum on the proposed European Union Constitution . However, before he could lead the party into a general election, Duncan Smith lost the vote on a motion of no confidence by MPs. This was despite the Conservative support equalling that of Labour in the months leading up to his departure from the leadership. Michael Howard then stood for the leadership unopposed on 6 November 2003. Under Howard's leadership in
13635-491: The party in the wake of the UK's vote to leave the European Union . She began the process of withdrawing the UK from the European Union in March 2017. In April 2017, the Cabinet agreed to hold a general election on 8 June. In a shock result, the election resulted in a hung parliament , with the Conservative Party needing a confidence and supply arrangement with the DUP to support a minority government. May's Premiership
13770-427: The party's co-chairman under David Cameron, stated that the Conservative Party has had a problem handling complaints of sexual misconducts against members appropriately. The 2010 election resulted in a hung parliament with the Conservatives having the most seats but short of an overall majority. Following the resignation of Gordon Brown , Cameron was named Prime Minister, and the Conservatives entered government in
13905-660: The party. Heath had come to power in June 1970 and the last possible date for the next general election was not until mid-1975. However a general election was held in February 1974 in a bid to win public support during a national emergency caused by the miners' strike. Heath's attempt to win a second term at this "snap" election failed, as a deadlock result left no party with an overall majority . Heath resigned within days, after failing to gain Liberal Party support to form
14040-673: The party. Sunak's speech took place on 4 October, and was an hour long. He announced the cancellation of the West Midlands to Manchester leg of HS2, stating that "the facts have changed." He also announced that £4 billion in funding would be reallocated from the railway to other transport schemes in six northern city regions, and confirmed that the planned HS2 line would run into Euston railway station . Sunak also announced plans to scrap A-levels and replace them with an " Advanced British Standard " qualification. He also positioned himself against gender self-identification , stating "a man
14175-498: The possibility of entering a second ballot if it came to that." Portillo acknowledged that "ambiguity is unattractive" and his opponents within the party later used Portillo's apparent equivocation as an example of his indecisiveness; "I appeared happy to wound but afraid to strike: a dishonourable position." Portillo's loss of the Enfield Southgate seat, in the 1997 general election to Labour's Stephen Twigg , came as
14310-458: The premiership of David Cameron, was marked by the ongoing effects of the 2007–2008 financial crisis and the implementation of austerity measures in response. From 2015 the predominant political event was the Brexit referendum and the process to implement the decision to leave the trade bloc. The Conservatives' time in office was marked by several controversies. The presence of Islamophobia in
14445-510: The press, and the public a chance to learn about the party's ideas and policies for the year ahead. The focal event is the leader's speech, which is given by the incumbent Leader of the Conservative Party at the end of conference. In some special circumstances, the leader will make a speech at the opening of conference. An exhibition area is also featured every year allowing businesses and Conservative Party-affiliated organisations to promote their brands and messages from exhibition stands throughout
14580-505: The public, the Labour Party and her own party, Truss reversed some aspects of the mini-budget, including the abolition of the top rate of income tax. Following a government crisis Truss announced her resignation as prime minister on 20 October after 44 days in office, the shortest premiership in British history. Truss also oversaw the worst polling the Conservatives had ever received, with Labour polling as high as 36 per cent above
14715-415: The question "so Michael, are you going to miss the limo ?"—a reference to the expectation that the Conservatives were headed for defeat and thus he would no longer be a Minister. Portillo was then asked "are we seeing the end of the Conservative Party as a credible force in British politics?". He has since revealed that, prior to the interview, he had already come to believe he had lost his seat: I saw that
14850-407: The recovering British economy, saw the Conservatives returning quickly to the top of the opinion polls and winning the 1983 general election with a landslide majority, due to a split opposition vote. By the time of the general election in June 1987, the economy was stronger, with lower inflation and falling unemployment and Thatcher secured her third successive electoral victory. The introduction of
14985-483: The reference "was ill-judged". The Conservatives later lost the 1997 election and Portillo lost his seat. At the 2003 conference in Blackpool , party leader Iain Duncan Smith stated in his speech; "to the prime minister, I say this: the quiet man is here to stay, and he's turning up the volume!" This line was not successful. Prime Minister David Cameron headed the 2015 conference in Manchester. On its opening day,
15120-409: The right wing of the Conservative Party itself for its tolerance of socialist policies and reluctance to curb the legal powers of labour unions. The Conservatives were re-elected in 1955 and 1959 with larger majorities. Conservative Prime Ministers Churchill, Anthony Eden , Harold Macmillan and Alec Douglas-Home promoted relatively liberal trade regulations and less state involvement throughout
15255-516: The sale of the entire stock of Ministry of Defence (MoD) housing for military personnel to Annington Homes . His high profile led to constant attention from the media, including Private Eye , which mockingly referred to him as " Portaloo ". He was accused of vanity when Alexandra Palace was hired to celebrate his ten years in politics. Some saw the Defence Secretary post as a reward for Portillo's cautious loyalty to Major during
15390-533: The statesmen Robert Gascoyne-Cecil and Arthur Balfour , held power for all but three of the following twenty years before suffering a heavy defeat in 1906 when it split over the issue of free trade . Young Winston Churchill denounced Chamberlain's attack on free trade, and helped organise the opposition inside the Unionist/Conservative Party. Nevertheless, Balfour, as party leader, introduced protectionist legislation. Churchill crossed
15525-443: The steel and road haulage industries in 1953. During the Conservatives' thirteen-year tenure in office, pensions went up by 49% in real terms, sickness and unemployment benefits by 76% in real terms, and supplementary benefits by 46% in real terms. However, family allowances fell by 15% in real terms. "Thirteen Wasted Years" was a popular slogan attacking the Conservative record, primarily from Labour. In addition, there were attacks by
15660-555: The time of the 1979 general election , inflation had been at 9% or under for the previous year, then increased to over 20% in the first two years of the Thatcher ministry, but it had fallen again to 5.8% by the start of 1983. The period of unpopularity of the Conservatives in the early 1980s coincided with a crisis in the Labour Party, which then formed the main opposition. Victory in the Falklands War in June 1982, along with
15795-497: The venue. In his speech on 6 October, Johnson announced fewer policies than usual, instead signalling a new philosophy in response to supply chain problems and labour shortages. Liz Truss ' speech at the 2022 conference at the ICC Birmingham lasted 35 minutes, shorter than usual for speeches by party leaders at the conference. During the speech, she stated that she would bring the country through "stormy days" and oppose
15930-665: Was a member of the board of the Kerr-McGee Corporation for a few months in 2006. 1998 saw Portillo make his first foray into broadcasting on Channel 4 with Portillo's Progress —three 60-minute-long programmes looking into the changed social and political scene in Britain. From 2002 onwards, Portillo developed an active career in media, both as a commentator on public affairs and as a writer and/or presenter of television and radio documentaries. Between its inception in 2003 and cancellation in 2019, Portillo appeared in
16065-716: Was also given throat spray before the speech. 1977 conference. Blackpool. The 1980 conference was headed by Margaret Thatcher in Brighton . Her speech on 10 October included the line “you turn if you want to. The lady's not for turning !” During the 1984 conference, held in Brighton, the Provisional Irish Republican Army targeted the government in a hotel bombing on 12 October. While it did not kill any Cabinet members, it killed five people and injured thirty four. Despite this, Thatcher insisted
16200-559: Was an insult that entered English politics during the Exclusion Bill crisis of 1678–1681, which derived from the Middle Irish word tóraidhe (modern Irish : tóraí ) meaning outlaw or robber , which in turn derived from the Irish word tóir , meaning pursuit , since outlaws were "pursued men". The term " Conservative " was suggested as a title for the party in an article by J. Wilson Croker published in
16335-417: Was coined by Noel Skelton in 1923 and became a core principle of the party. While serving in Opposition during the late 1940s, the Conservative Party exploited and incited growing public anger at food rationing , scarcity, controls, austerity , and government bureaucracy. It used the dissatisfaction with the socialist and egalitarian policies of the Labour Party to rally middle-class supporters and build
16470-469: Was dominated by Brexit as she carried out negotiations with the European Union, adhering to the Chequers Plan , which resulted in her draft Brexit withdrawal agreement . May survived two votes of no confidence in December 2018 and January 2019, but after versions of her draft withdrawal agreement were rejected by Parliament three times , May announced her resignation on 24 May 2019. Subsequent to
16605-414: Was elected leader, Portillo returned to the backbenches. In March 2003, he voted in favour of the 2003 invasion of Iraq . In November 2003, he turned down an offer of a Shadow Cabinet post from the incoming Conservative leader Michael Howard . He did not seek re-election in the 2005 general election . His membership of the Conservative Party has since lapsed. In 2007 he was named by PinkNews as one of
16740-712: Was followed by a series Great Asian Railway Journeys from 27 January 2020, and Great Coastal Railway Journeys (BBC2, January–February 2022). In 2020, as part of his Great Continental Railway Journeys , in the "Salamanca to Canfranc", while in Salamanca, Portillo was given access to papers about his father held at the General Archive of the Spanish Civil War . Other television programmes presented by Portillo have included: On 26 May 2022, Channel 5 commissioned The Pyrenees with Michael Portillo ,
16875-496: Was founded in 1834 from the Tory Party and was one of two dominant political parties in the 19th 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 Party merged with the party to form the Conservative and Unionist Party. Rivalry with the Labour Party has shaped modern British politics for
17010-523: Was held in 1965, won by Edward Heath. Edward Heath 's 1970–74 government was known for taking the UK into the EEC , although the right-wing of the party objected to his failure to control the trade unions at a time when a declining British industry saw many strikes, as well as the 1973–75 recession . Since accession to the EEC, which developed into the EU, British membership has been a source of heated debate within
17145-461: Was held in Manchester. Parliament voted to reject the government's request for the traditional three-day parliamentary "conference recess" by a margin of 17 votes due to opposition parties refusing to back any suspension of parliament until the potential no-deal Brexit on 31 October was averted, meaning that the conference clashed with the sitting of Parliament for the first time. At the conference, on 1 October, Conservative MP Geoffrey Clifton-Brown
17280-488: Was held on 9 April 1992 and the Conservatives won a fourth successive electoral victory, contrary to predictions from opinion polls. The Conservatives became the first party to attract 14 million votes in a general election. On 16 September 1992, the Government suspended Britain's membership of the European Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM), after the pound fell lower than its minimum level in
17415-475: Was leading to a long-term decline in the British economy. As a result, her government pursued a programme of economic liberalism , adopting a free-market approach to public services based on the sale of publicly owned industries and utilities, as well as a reduction in trade union power. One of Thatcher's largest and most successful policies assisted council house tenants in public housing to purchase their homes at favourable rates. The "Right to Buy" had emerged in
17550-439: Was originally broadcast on 7 November 2008. In 2009, he filmed a series titled Great British Railway Journeys , in which he explored, with the aid of George Bradshaw 's 1863 tourist handbook , how the railways had a profound influence on the social, economic and political history of Britain. The series commenced broadcasting in January 2010. A second series was broadcast on BBC Two in 2011, and as of May 2021, there have been
17685-516: Was plagued by internal division and infighting, mainly over the UK's role in the European Union . The party's Eurosceptic wing, represented by MPs such as John Redwood , opposed further EU integration, whilst the party's pro-European wing, represented by those such as Chancellor of the Exchequer Kenneth Clarke , was broadly supportive. The issue of the creation of a single European currency also inflamed tensions. Major survived
17820-549: Was promoted to Minister of State for Transport . Portillo has stated that he considers "saving the Settle to Carlisle railway " to be his greatest achievement. He was a strong supporter of Margaret Thatcher . In 1990, Portillo was appointed Minister of State for Local Government, in which post he argued in favour of the ultimately highly unpopular Community Charge system (popularly known as "the Poll Tax"). He demonstrated
17955-466: Was removed from the conference by security staff and had his pass withdrawn after interrupting the speech by stating that "there's no such thing as gender ideology ", after Braverman had described "gender ideology" as "poison". Boff said that "trash about gender ideology is making our Conservative Party look transphobic and homophobic ." Nigel Farage attended the conference for the first time since 1988, prompting consideration on whether he would re-join
18090-576: Was removed from the event after attempting to bring a person without a relevant pass into the lounge and arguing with a member of staff. Boris Johnson's speech at the conference had Brexit as a central focus. During the speech, he stated that "we will under no circumstances have checks at or near the border in Northern Ireland. We will respect the peace process and the Good Friday Agreement ." He suggested that his proposal for
18225-399: Was subsequently promoted to Secretary of State for Defence . As Defence Secretary, he pressed for a course of "clear blue water": purist policies separating the Conservatives from the Labour Party . Portillo unexpectedly lost the theretofore safe Conservative Enfield Southgate seat at the 1997 general election . This led to the coining of the expression " Portillo moment ". Returning to
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