Related:
119-740: The Big Society Award was a British award set up by prime minister David Cameron in November 2010 as part of the Big Society initiative. The awards recognised community work done in the UK that demonstrates the Big Society. Over fifty awards had been presented by the start of 2015. The awards had been discontinued by 2018. The award was focussed on three areas: Archived official site David Cameron David William Donald Cameron, Baron Cameron of Chipping Norton (born 9 October 1966),
238-459: A Eurosceptic political party, was also formed, in 1993. It achieved third place in the UK during the 2004 European elections , second place in the 2009 European elections and first place in the 2014 European elections , with 27.5% of the total vote. This was the first time since the 1910 general election that any party other than the Labour or Conservative parties had taken the largest share of
357-453: A one-nation conservative and has been associated with both economically liberal and socially liberal policies. Born in London to an upper-middle-class family, Cameron was educated at Eton College and Brasenose College, Oxford . After becoming an MP in 2001, he served in the opposition Shadow Cabinet under Conservative leader Michael Howard , and succeeded Howard in 2005 . Following
476-554: A "Bill of Rights" to replace the Human Rights Act , however, 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". While at Oxford, Cameron was a member of the Bullingdon Club , an exclusive all male student dining society with
595-817: A "deep-seated hostility" to any pan-European project. Once de Gaulle had relinquished the French presidency in 1969, the UK made a third and successful application for membership (the CAP, and the Customs Union and Tariff system, being by now well established). Attitudes to Britain joining the EEC had shifted in political and business circles in both the UK and France, for by the late 1960s exports from Britain to western Europe outstripped those to countries participating in Imperial Preference , and British investment in
714-458: A "his and her 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 she denied this claim. Lewis reported that Cameron was "uncomfortable" about the list. 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
833-492: A '1' grade in the scholarship level exam in economics and politics. The following autumn, he passed the entrance exam for the University of Oxford , and was offered an exhibition at Brasenose College . After leaving Eton in 1984 Cameron started a nine-month gap year . For three months, he worked as a researcher for his godfather Tim Rathbone , then Conservative MP for Lewes , during which time he attended debates in
952-432: A 50/50 chance, but as the campaign wore on and the scale of the impending Conservative defeat grew, Cameron prepared himself for defeat. On election day, Stafford had a swing of 10.7%, almost the same as the national swing, which made it one of the many seats to fall to Labour: Kidney defeated Cameron by 24,606 votes (47.5%) to 20,292 (39.2%), a majority of 4,314 (8.3%). In the round of selection contests taking place in
1071-478: A 78% turnout , to Davis's 64,398. Although Davis had initially been the favourite, it was widely acknowledged that his candidacy was marred by a disappointing conference speech. 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
1190-486: A candidate. Parliamentary colleagues supporting him included Boris Johnson, shadow chancellor George Osborne, shadow defence secretary and deputy leader of the party Michael Ancram , Oliver Letwin and former party leader William Hague . His campaign did not gain wide support until his speech, delivered without notes, at the 2005 Conservative party conference . In the speech, he vowed to make people "feel good about being Conservatives again" and said he wanted "to switch on
1309-485: A constituency revised in boundary changes, which was projected to have a Conservative majority. The incumbent Conservative MP, Bill Cash , ran instead in the neighbouring constituency of Stone , where he was re-elected. At the 1996 Conservative Party Conference, Cameron 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". He also said
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#17327828190811428-614: A descendant of the Yiddish author Elia Levita . Cameron was educated at two private schools . From the age of seven, he was taught at Heatherdown School in Winkfield , Berkshire. Owing to good grades, he entered its top academic class almost two years early. At the age of 13, he went on to Eton College in Berkshire, following his father and elder brother. His early interest was in art. Six weeks before taking his O levels , he
1547-509: 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. During the election campaign, Cameron accepted the offer of writing a regular column for The Guardian ' s online section. He won the seat with a 1.9% swing to the Conservatives, taking 22,153 votes (45%) to Labour candidate Michael Bartlet's 14,180 (28.8%),
1666-675: A high percentage of the UK vote. In July 2019, Theresa May resigned as Prime Minister. On 23 July 2019, Vote Leave campaigner Boris Johnson took office as her replacement. Johnson extended the deadline until 31 January 2020, and then called an early general election in December. Johnson and the Conservative Party won a majority of 80 seats. Both the EU and UK Parliaments ratified the Withdrawal Agreement, which allowed
1785-564: A majority of 7,973 (16.2%). Upon his election to Parliament, Cameron served as a member of the Commons Home Affairs Select Committee , a prominent appointment for a newly elected MP. He proposed that the Committee launch an inquiry into the law on drugs, and urged the consideration of "radical options". The report recommended a downgrading of ecstasy from Class A to Class B, as well as moves towards
1904-753: A manufacturing economy wanted tariff-free access for its industrial goods throughout the EEC, so France got the CAP, and in return Germany got the Customs union and the Common external tariff built into the Treaty of Rome. The system of price support developed through the 1970s and 1980s: the CAP absorbed more and more Community resources, from an estimated 12.9 per cent of the budget in 1966 to 68.4 or even 80 per cent in 1985. Between 1974 and 1983, guarantee expenditure on agricultural products grew from three billion ECUs to 16 billion ECUs. These trends emerged precisely as
2023-567: A policy of ' harm reduction ', which Cameron defended. Cameron endorsed Iain Duncan Smith in the 2001 Conservative Party leadership election and organised an event in Witney for party supporters to hear John Bercow speaking for him. Two days before Duncan Smith won the leadership contest on 13 September 2001, the 9/11 attacks occurred. Cameron described Tony Blair's response to the attacks as "masterful", saying: "He moved fast, and set
2142-553: A question about whether he most regretted claiming to see "the green shoots of recovery" or admitting to "singing in his bath" with happiness at leaving the European Exchange Rate Mechanism. 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
2261-676: A referendum on the UK's continuing membership of the European Union in 2016. He supported the Britain Stronger in Europe campaign which lost. Following the success of Vote Leave , Cameron resigned as prime minister and was succeeded by Theresa May , his Home Secretary. Cameron resigned his seat on 12 September 2016, and maintained a low political profile. He served as the president of Alzheimer's Research UK from 2017 to 2023, and
2380-422: A referendum on whether to remain in the EEC on the new terms. All of the major political parties and the mainstream press supported continuing membership of the EEC. However, there were significant divides within the ruling Labour Party; a 1975 one-day party conference voted by two to one in favour of withdrawal, and seven of the 23 cabinet ministers were opposed to EEC membership, with Harold Wilson suspending
2499-516: A reputation for an outlandish drinking culture associated with boisterous behaviour and damaging property. In his 2019 memoir For the Record , Cameron wrote about being a member of the Bullingdon and its impact on his political career, saying: "When I look now at the much-reproduced photograph taken of our group of appallingly over-self-confident 'sons of privilege', I cringe. If I had known at
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#17327828190812618-406: A result of emergency wartime measures, had one of the most efficient farming industries in the world, and while agriculture accounted for 25% of the French economy, it only accounted for 4% in the UK. In the 1950s Britain's cheap food policy was predicated on trading at world market prices, which were throughout this period substantially lower than the CAP ones. It was supplemented for its farmers from
2737-468: A roundtable discussion on the future of broadcasting in 1998, he criticised the effect of overlapping different regulators on the industry. Carlton's consortium did win the digital terrestrial franchise, but the resulting company suffered difficulties in attracting subscribers. Cameron resigned as Director of Corporate Affairs in February 2001 to run for Parliament for a second time, although he remained on
2856-484: 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, and was selected instead for the safe Labour seat of St Helens South . Cameron's biographers Francis Elliott and James Hanning describe the two men as being "on fairly friendly terms". Cameron, advised in his strategy by friend Catherine Fall , put
2975-480: A single market for agricultural goods at guaranteed prices, a Community preference scheme against imports, and financial solidarity. Intervention in markets to buy up surplus stocks at minimum prices, subsidising sales on world markets, and imposing levies on the import of cheaper goods from outside the Community – these were the techniques adopted, the bill for them being paid by taxpayers and consumers. Britain, as
3094-531: A vote on allowing same-sex and unmarried couples to adopt children jointly, against a whip to oppose; his abstention was noted. The wide scale of abstentions and rebellious votes destabilised the Duncan Smith leadership. In June 2003 Cameron was appointed a shadow minister in the Privy Council Office as a deputy to Eric Forth , then shadow leader of the House . He also became a vice- chairman of
3213-412: A whole new generation." His speech was well-received; The Daily Telegraph said speaking without notes "showed a sureness and a confidence that is greatly to his credit". 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
3332-588: Is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2016. After his premiership , he served as Foreign Secretary in Rishi Sunak ’s government from 2023 to 2024. Cameron was Leader of the Conservative Party from 2005 to 2016. He was Leader of the Opposition from 2005 to 2010 and Member of Parliament (MP) for Witney from 2001 to 2016. Cameron identifies as
3451-456: Is the younger son of Ian Donald Cameron, a stockbroker, and his wife Mary Fleur, a retired Justice of the Peace and daughter of Sir William Mount, 2nd Baronet . He is also a descendant of William IV through one of the king's illegitimate children. Cameron's father, Ian, was born at Blairmore House near Huntly , Aberdeenshire, and died near Toulon , France, on 8 September 2010; Blairmore
3570-453: The 1997 general election . Major and Lamont's personal ratings also declined dramatically. Lamont's unpopularity did not necessarily affect Cameron, who was considered as a potential " kamikaze " candidate for the Newbury by-election , which includes the area where he grew up. However, Cameron decided not to stand. During the by-election, Lamont gave the response " Je ne regrette rien " to
3689-787: The 2010 general election , negotiations led to Cameron becoming prime minister as the head of a coalition government with the Liberal Democrats . His premiership was marked by the effects of the 2007–2008 financial crisis and the Great Recession , which his government sought to address through austerity measures . His administration passed the Health and Social Care Act and the Welfare Reform Act , which introduced large-scale changes to healthcare and welfare . It also enforced stricter immigration policies via
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3808-725: The Common Foreign and Security Policy (CSFP) and Justice and Home Affairs (JHA). As a result of the Lisbon Treaty , which entered into force on 1 December 2009, the Maastricht Treaty is now known, in updated form as, the Treaty on European Union (2007) or TEU, and the Treaty of Rome is now known, in updated form, as the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (2007) or TFEU. The Referendum Party
3927-476: The Conservative Party . Parliament's European Communities Act 1972 was enacted on 17 October, and the UK's instrument of ratification was deposited the next day (18 October), letting the United Kingdom's membership of the EEC come into effect on 1 January 1973. Despite having to wait until 1 January 1973 to become a member of the European Communities, the UK was allowed to take a full part in
4046-607: The Council of Europe in 1949, the first step towards political co-operation between them, but some countries wanted to go further. The 1951 Treaty of Paris created the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), which began to unite European countries economically and politically in order to secure lasting peace, after two world wars had started in Europe in the first half of the century. The six founding countries were Belgium , France , West Germany , Italy , Luxembourg and
4165-595: The European Convention of Human Rights and the judgements/opinions of the European Court of Human Rights . In a statistical analysis published in April 2016, Professor John Curtice of Strathclyde University defined Euroscepticism as the wish to sever or reduce the powers of the EU, and conversely Europhilia as the desire to preserve or increase the powers of the EU. According to this definition,
4284-597: The Home Office hostile environment policy , introduced reforms to education under Michael Gove as Education Secretary and oversaw the 2012 London Olympics . Cameron's administration privatised Royal Mail and some other state assets, and legalised same-sex marriage in England and Wales . Internationally, Cameron oversaw Operation Ellamy in the First Libyan Civil War and authorised the bombing of
4403-828: The House of Commons . 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. Returning from Hong Kong, Cameron visited the then- Soviet Union , where he was approached by two Russian men speaking fluent English. He was later told by one of his professors that it was "definitely an attempt" by the KGB to recruit him. In October 1985 Cameron began his Bachelor of Arts course in Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) at Brasenose College, Oxford. His tutor, Vernon Bogdanor , has described him as "one of
4522-614: The Islamic State in Syria. Domestically, his government oversaw the 2011 United Kingdom Alternative Vote referendum and Scottish independence referendum , both of which confirmed Cameron's favoured outcome. When the Conservatives secured an unexpected majority in the 2015 general election , he remained as prime minister, this time leading a Conservative-only government known as the Second Cameron ministry . Cameron introduced
4641-477: The Labour Party , Cameron retired from frontline politics. However, he maintains his House of Lords seat. As prime minister, Cameron was credited for helping to modernise the Conservative Party and for reducing the UK's national deficit. However, he was subject to criticism for austerity measures. In historical rankings of prime ministers of the United Kingdom , academics and journalists have ranked him in
4760-538: The Lisbon Treaty by sending a letter to the then President of the European Council Donald Tusk , which gave the UK and EU two years, until 29 March 2019 at 11 pm (UK time), to agree an exit deal. If the two parties were unable to strike an agreement, and if the Article 50 period had not been extended, the UK would leave the EU without a deal as the default position. Come March 2019,
4879-683: 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 . Cameron attended a gathering at Warsaw 's Palladium cinema celebrating the foundation of the alliance. In forming the caucus, which had 54 MEPs drawn from eight of
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4998-625: The Netherlands . The 1950s were dominated by the Cold War between the Soviet bloc and the Western democracies. In 1951, the six ECSC countries signed a treaty to run their heavy industries – coal and steel – under a common management. It was felt that, with this arrangement, no country on its own could make weapons of war that it could turn against the others, in contrast to what had occurred in
5117-485: The Outer Hebrides . With a turnout of just under 65%, the outcome of the vote was 67.2% in favour of staying in, and the United Kingdom remained a member of the EEC. Support for the UK to leave the EEC in 1975, in the data, appears unrelated to the support for Leave in the 2016 referendum. NOTE: Unusually for a referendum Yes was the no change (status quo) option. In 1979, the United Kingdom opted out of
5236-669: The President of France , Charles de Gaulle. While it was true that Britain's economy, like many others, was struggling to recover from the high cost of the Second World War , De Gaulle had personal as well as economic reasons for not wanting the British around the table. He distrusted the British particularly because he thought that in disputes they would always take the American side. There were also distinct differences between
5355-622: The Privy Council , being formally approved to join on 14 December 2005, and sworn of the council on 8 March 2006. Cameron's relative youth and inexperience before becoming leader invited satirical comparison with Tony Blair. Private Eye soon published a picture of both leaders on its front cover, with the caption "World's first face transplant a success". On the left, the New Statesman unfavourably likened his "new style of politics" to Tony Blair's early leadership years. Cameron
5474-551: The constitutional convention of Cabinet collective responsibility to allow those ministers to publicly campaign against the government. On 5 June 1975, the electorate was asked to vote yes or no on the question: "Do you think the UK should stay in the European Community (Common Market)?" Every administrative county and region in the UK returned majority "Yes" votes, apart from the Shetland Islands and
5593-443: The 1950s by a system of deficiency payments. De Gaulle, aware that the CAP was crucial to France's economic security and social stability at that time, knew the British would not accept it, and his veto made sure that they could not stop CAP happening. Despite its complexity, the CAP's origin and driving momentum lay in a simple but historic trade-off between France's agricultural interests and Germany's industrial interests. Germany as
5712-528: The 27 EU member states , Cameron reportedly broke with two decades of Conservative co-operation with the centre-right Christian Democrats, the European People's Party (EPP), on the grounds that they are dominated by European federalists and supporters of the Lisbon treaty . EPP leader Wilfried Martens , former prime minister of Belgium , stated: "Cameron's campaign has been to take his party back to
5831-644: The British Social Attitudes (BSA) surveys show an increase in euroscepticism from 38% (1993) to 65% (2015). Euroscepticism should however not be confused with the wish to leave the EU: the BSA survey for the period July–November 2015 shows that 60% backed the option "continue as an EU member", and only 30% backed the option to "withdraw". Since 1977, both pro- and anti-European views have had majority support at different times, with some dramatic swings between
5950-497: The Conservative Party when Michael Howard took over the leadership in November of that year. He was appointed Opposition frontbench local government spokesman in 2004, before being promoted to the Shadow Cabinet that June as head of policy co-ordination . Later, he became Shadow Education Secretary in the post-election reshuffle. Daniel Finkelstein has said of the period leading up to Cameron's election as leader of
6069-585: The Conservative Party that arose partly from her increasingly Eurosceptic views. The United Kingdom was forced to withdraw from the ERM in September 1992, after the pound sterling came under pressure from currency speculators (an episode known as Black Wednesday ). The resulting cost to UK taxpayers was estimated to be in excess of £3 billion. On 1 November 1993, the Maastricht Treaty started
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#17327828190816188-449: The Conservative Party's mission into a "PR agenda". Traditionalist conservative columnist and author Peter Hitchens wrote: "Mr Cameron has abandoned the last significant difference between his party and the established left", by embracing social liberalism. The Daily Telegraph correspondent and blogger Gerald Warner was particularly scathing about Cameron's leadership, saying that it alienated traditionalist conservative elements from
6307-447: The Conservative Party. Before he became Conservative leader, Cameron was reportedly known to friends and family as "Dave", though his preference is "David" in public. Labour used the slogan Dave the Chameleon in their 2006 local elections party broadcast to portray Cameron as an ever-changing populist , which was criticised as negative campaigning by the Conservative press, including The Daily Telegraph , though Cameron asserted
6426-446: 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". Cameron's relationship with Osborne is regarded as particularly close; Conservative MP Nadhim Zahawi suggested the closeness of Osborne's relationship with Cameron meant
6545-399: The EC and later the EU maintained a lead in the opinion polls, except during 2000 – at which time Prime Minister Tony Blair was aiming for closer EU integration, including adoption of the euro currency – and around 2011, as immigration into the United Kingdom became increasingly noticeable. As late as December 2015 there was, according to ComRes , a clear majority in favour of remaining in
6664-410: The ECHR, 21 years before joining the EC/EU, in 1951. However, the European Court of Human Rights (which is the court founded by the European Convention of Human Rights ) does not have constitutional supremacy over the various judiciaries of European Countries. The European Court of Justice (which is the court founded by the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union ) does in fact try to follow
6783-407: The EEC to be essentially a Franco-German alliance, with the other four members being satellite states. The UK was not a signatory of the three original treaties that were incorporated into what was then the European Communities , including the best-known of these, the Treaty of Rome. Britain first began talks to join the EEC in July 1961. The UK's applications to join in 1963 and 1967 were vetoed by
6902-684: The EEC was greater than that going to the Commonwealth . Large firms in advanced manufacturing became increasingly vocal advocates of joining the EEC, and the Confederation of British Industry , whose predecessor the Federation of British Industries had originally opposed the establishment of a European customs union after the Second World War, stressed the importance of pan-European investment, collaboration and co-ordinated industrial policy. In France, government and business opinion were increasingly aware that American firms were dominating high-tech sectors and were better at organising integrated production networks in Europe than local companies, in part due to
7021-438: The EU following a renegotiation which took place in the autumn and winter of 2015–16. At the same time parliament legislated for the referendum by passing the European Union Referendum Act 2015 . The UK Government was in favour of a “Remain” result, although cabinet ministers were allowed to campaign on either side in a suspension of Cabinet collective responsibility , just as ministers had back in 1975. The surprise result of
7140-412: The EU, albeit with a warning that voter intentions would be considerably influenced by the outcome of Prime Minister David Cameron 's ongoing EU reform negotiations, especially with regards to the two issues of "safeguards for non-Eurozone member states" and "immigration". The following events are relevant. On 23 June 2016 the United Kingdom held its second referendum on membership of what had now become
7259-407: The European Union. This took place forty-one years after the first referendum, which had resulted in an overwhelming vote to remain within the bloc. The second referendum came about after the Conservatives led by David Cameron won an unexpected small overall majority in the 2015 UK general election , which included a manifesto commitment to holding a in-out referendum on Britain's relationship with
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#17327828190817378-427: The French and British farming industries. De Gaulle in his memoirs described the problem of the agriculture sector for French governments: "How could we maintain on our territory more than two million farms, three-quarters of which were too small and too poor to be profitable, but on which, nonetheless, nearly one-fifth of the French population live?" His solution was the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). It provided for
7497-452: 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." 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
7616-488: The UK was unable to reach a deal and so, to avoid a no-deal scenario, agreed a deal with the EU to delay the exit under Article 50 until 12 April – two weeks after the original deadline. This deadline was not reached, and the two parties then postponed the so-called "Brexit Day" until 31 October 2019. This required Britain to participate in the 2019 European Parliament election . The newly established Eurosceptic Brexit Party , headed by Nigel Farage , made sweeping gains, taking
7735-501: The United Kingdom ratified the Single European Act – the first major revision to the Treaty of Rome – without a referendum, with the full support of the Thatcher government . In October 1990 – under the conservative governance of Margaret Thatcher – the United Kingdom joined the European Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM), with the pound sterling pegged to a basket of eight other European currencies. Thatcher resigned as Prime Minister in November 1990, amid internal divisions within
7854-521: The ablest" students he has taught, with "moderate and sensible Conservative" political views . Guy Spier , who shared tutorials with Cameron, 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." When commenting in 2006 on his former pupil's ideas about
7973-400: The agenda both at home and abroad. He correctly identified the problem of Islamist extremism , the inadequacy of our response both domestically and internationally, and supported—quite rightly in my view—the action to remove the Taliban regime from Afghanistan ." Cameron determinedly attempted to increase his public visibility, offering quotations on matters of public controversy. He opposed
8092-535: The best economic team." The reshuffle also saw eight other changes made. During his successful 2005 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. Once elected, Cameron began discussions with right-wing and Eurosceptic parties in other European countries, mainly in eastern Europe; in July 2006, he concluded an agreement to form
8211-400: The best way of achieving progress in the matter of unification'. When the foundations of common foreign policy in the European Community was drafted in 1970, it was explicitly extended to include accession countries, to ensure the UK were involved in the development before the accession. The Treaty of Accession was signed in January 1972 by the then prime minister Edward Heath , leader of
8330-428: The broadcast had become his daughter's "favourite video". During the leadership election, allegations were made that Cameron had used cannabis and cocaine recreationally before becoming an MP. Pressed on this point during the BBC television programme Question Time , Cameron expressed the view that everybody was allowed to "err and stray" in their past. During his 2005 Conservative leadership campaign, he addressed
8449-589: 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." Similarly, Cameron's initial " A-List " of prospective parliamentary candidates was attacked by members of his party, and the policy was discontinued in favour of gender -balanced final shortlists. Before being discontinued, the policy had been criticised by senior Conservative MP and former Prisons Spokeswoman Ann Widdecombe as an "insult to women", and she had accused Cameron of "storing up huge problems for
8568-419: The economic crisis. 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 Campaign Headquarters for their political acceptability to be assessed. By May 1993, the Conservatives' average poll rating dropped below 30%, where they would remain until
8687-501: The foundation of the EEC, the UK had been an important neighbour and then a leading member state, until Brexit ended 47 years of membership. During the UK's time as a member state two referendums were held on the issue of its membership: the first, held on 5 June 1975, resulting in a vote to stay in the EC, and the second, held on 23 June 2016, resulting in a vote to leave the EU. Ten West European nations (not including West Germany ) created
8806-578: The fourth and third quintiles. Cameron was the first former prime minister to be appointed to a ministerial post since Alec Douglas-Home in 1970, and the first former prime minister to be raised to the peerage since Margaret Thatcher . David William Donald Cameron was born on 9 October 1966 at the London Clinic in Marylebone , London, and raised at Peasemore in Berkshire. He has two sisters and an elder brother, Alexander Cameron . Cameron
8925-557: The fragmentation of European businesses, as argued by Jean-Jacques Servan-Schreiber in his 1967 book Le défi américain ("The American Challenge"). In response, the country's main employers' organisation, the Conseil national du patronat français , lobbied along with senior French civil servants to reverse de Gaulle's policy regarding British membership. One complication with the negotiation came about because, in 1969 European Communities had asked their Foreign Affairs committee to 'study
9044-418: The future." In April 2009 The Independent reported that in 1989, while Nelson Mandela remained imprisoned under the apartheid regime, Cameron had accepted a trip to South Africa paid for by an anti-sanctions lobby firm. A spokesperson for him 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,
9163-544: The house of Alan Duncan in Gayfere Street , Westminster , which had been Major's campaign headquarters during his bid for the Conservative leadership. Cameron headed the economic section. It was while working on this campaign that Cameron first worked closely with and befriended Steve Hilton , who was later to become Director of Strategy during his party leadership. The strain of getting up at 04:45 every day
9282-587: The implementation of the Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union and formalized European citizenship ; it also changed the name of the Community to the European Union reflecting the evolution of the organization from an economic union into a political union, which started long before ( TREVI , European Political Co-operation ).: the Union is founded on the European Communities (first pillar), with two additional areas of cooperation (second and third pillars):
9401-492: The importance of agriculture and rural populations in the member-states proportionately declined. Distribution of the benefits was also highly skewed; the Commission estimates that in 1991 some 80 per cent of support went to 20 per cent of the EU's farmers. De Gaulle said that "a number of aspects of Britain's economy, from working practices to agriculture" had "made Britain incompatible with Europe" and that Britain harboured
9520-515: 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." In July 1994 Cameron left his role as Special Adviser to work as the Director of Corporate Affairs at Carlton Communications . Carlton, which had won the ITV franchise for London weekdays in 1991,
9639-784: The loans of maths and science graduates obtaining first or 2.1 degrees from "good" universities. United Kingdom membership of the European Union Women The United Kingdom (along with the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar ) was a member state of the European Union (EU) and of its predecessor the European Communities (EC) – principally the European Economic Community (EEC) – from 1 January 1973 until 31 January 2020. Since
9758-402: The newly formed European Monetary System (EMS), which was the precursor to the creation of the euro currency. The opposition Labour Party campaigned in the 1983 general election on a commitment to withdraw from the EEC without a referendum. It was heavily defeated; the Conservative government of Margaret Thatcher was re-elected. The Labour Party subsequently changed its policy. In 1985,
9877-421: 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
9996-511: The past. In 1957, building on the success of the Coal and Steel Treaty, the six ECSC countries expanded co-operation to other economic sectors by signing the Treaty of Rome , creating the European Economic Community (EEC), or 'Common Market'. The idea was for people, goods and services to be able to move freely across borders. The French president Charles De Gaulle was determined to have his own 'special relationship' with West Germany, for he wished
10115-742: The payment of compensation to Gurbux Singh, who had resigned as head of the Commission for Racial Equality after a confrontation with the police; and commented that the Home Affairs Select Committee had taken a long time to discuss whether the phrase "black market" should be used. Cameron 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
10234-483: The payroll as a consultant. Having been approved for the PPCs' list, Cameron began looking for a seat to contest for the 1997 general election . 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. In January 1996, when two shortlisted contenders dropped out, Cameron was interviewed and subsequently selected for Stafford ,
10353-607: The phrase "balanced diet", and that Lewis had written thanking Cameron for a valuable contribution. 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 inquiry 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. A senior Home Office civil servant noted
10472-544: The political development in the days immediately after signing the treaty. In 1975, the United Kingdom held its first ever national referendum on whether the UK should remain in the European Economic Community . The governing Labour Party , led by Harold Wilson , had contested the October 1974 general election with a commitment to renegotiate Britain's terms of membership of the EEC and then hold
10591-440: The process of the UK's withdrawal from the bloc. Following the referendum, the UK was engaged from 2017 to 2019 in negotiations with the European Union to leave the EU. Between the UK and EU, the so-called "Brexit" – a portmanteau of "Britain" and "exit" – would consist of a withdrawal agreement and a trade agreement; however, at a global level this might also split various other trade agreements. The withdrawal agreement
10710-667: The question of drug consumption by remarking: "I did lots of things before I came into politics which I shouldn't have done. We all did." His Shadow Cabinet appointments 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. In June 2008 Davis announced his intention to resign as an MP , and
10829-461: The referendum after a long ten-week campaign, with a narrow majority of people (52% for, 48% against) in favour of leaving the EU on a national turnout of 72%, sent shockwaves both throughout Europe and the rest of the world, causing turmoil in money markets and stock markets during the following day. David Cameron announced that he would resign as Prime Minister , and he was succeeded by Theresa May who became Prime Minister on 13 July 2016 to begin
10948-563: The referendum the then Home Secretary , Theresa May, had called for the UK to leave the ECHR. Neither the ECHR nor the ECtHR is formally part of the European Union, and are not connected to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU). The ECHR was drafted by, and the ECtHR is part of, the Council of Europe , of which the UK was a founding member in 1949. The UK was an independent signatory to
11067-540: The regime. He was criticised by Labour MP Peter Hain , himself an anti-apartheid campaigner. At the launch of the Conservative Party's education manifesto in January 2010, Cameron declared an admiration for the "brazenly elite" 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
11186-487: The right of the party, Norman Tebbit , a former Conservative chairman, likened Cameron to Pol Pot , "intent on purging even the memory of Thatcherism before building a New Modern Compassionate Green Globally Aware Party". Quentin Davies , 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 Cameron had turned
11305-621: The run-up to the 2001 general election , Cameron again attempted to be selected for a winnable seat. He tried for the Kensington and Chelsea seat after the death of Alan Clark , but did not make the shortlist. He was in the final two but narrowly lost at Wealden in March 2000, a loss ascribed by Samantha Cameron to his lack of spontaneity when speaking. Cameron was selected as PPC for Witney in Oxfordshire in April 2000. This had been
11424-545: 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. 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
11543-621: The team across Smith Square to jeer at Transport House , the former Labour headquarters. Cameron was rewarded with a promotion to Special Adviser to the Chancellor of the Exchequer , Norman Lamont . 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, he had difficulty trying to arrange to brief
11662-649: The then twice-weekly sessions of Prime Minister's Questions . One newspaper gave Cameron the credit for "sharper ... Despatch box performances" by Major, 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 . He became head of the political section of the Conservative Research Department, and in August 1991
11781-527: The time the grief I would get for that picture, of course I would never have joined. But life isn't like that..." and: "These were also the years after the ITV adaptation of Brideshead Revisited when quite a few of us were carried away by the fantasy of an Evelyn Waugh -like Oxford existence." Cameron's period in the Bullingdon Club was examined in a 2009 Channel 4 docu-drama, When Boris Met Dave ,
11900-520: The title referring to Boris Johnson , another high-profile Conservative party figure, the then-mayor of London, who had been a member at the same time, and who would go on to be prime minister himself. He graduated in 1988 with a first-class honours BA degree (later promoted to an MA by seniority). After graduation, Cameron worked for the Conservative Research Department between September 1988 and 1993. His first brief
12019-529: The two camps. In the United Kingdom European Community membership referendum of 1975 , two-thirds of British voters favoured continued EEC membership. The highest-ever rejection of membership was in 1980, the first full year of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher 's term of office, with 65% opposed to and 26% in favour of membership. After Thatcher had negotiated the UK rebate of British membership payments in 1984, those favouring
12138-566: The two effectively shared power during Cameron's time as prime minister. From February 2002 to August 2005, he was a non-executive director of Urbium PLC, operator of the Tiger Tiger bar chain. 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 on 29 September 2005 that he would be
12257-440: The vote in a nationwide election. UKIP's electoral success in the 2014 European election has been documented as the strongest correlate of the support for the leave campaign in the 2016 referendum. In 2014, UKIP won two by-elections, triggered by defecting Conservative MPs, and in the 2015 general election took 12.6% of the total vote and held one of the two seats won in 2014. The European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR)
12376-463: Was Trade and Industry, Energy and Privatisation; he befriended fellow young colleagues, including Edward Llewellyn , Ed Vaizey and Rachel Whetstone . They and others formed a group they called the " Smith Square set", which was dubbed the "Brat Pack" by the press, though it is better known as the " Notting Hill set ", a name given to it pejoratively by Derek Conway . In 1991 Cameron was seconded to Downing Street to work on briefing John Major for
12495-407: Was a break with official Conservative policy, but about 200 other candidates were making similar declarations. Otherwise, Cameron kept 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". Initially, Cameron thought he had
12614-478: Was a growing media company which also had film-distribution and video-producing arms. Cameron was suggested for the role to Carlton executive chairman Michael P. Green by his later mother-in-law Lady Astor. He left Carlton in 1997 to run for Parliament, returning to his job after his defeat. In 1997 Cameron played up the company's prospects for digital terrestrial television , for which it joined with ITV Granada and Sky to form British Digital Broadcasting . In
12733-468: Was accused of paying excessive attention to appearance: ITV News broadcast footage from the 2006 Conservative Party Conference in Bournemouth showing him wearing four different sets of clothes within a few hours. In his column for The Guardian , comedy writer and broadcaster Charlie Brooker described the Conservative leader as "a hollow Easter egg with no bag of sweets inside" in April 2007. On
12852-590: Was built by Cameron's great-great-grandfather, Alexander Geddes, who had made a fortune in the grain trade in Chicago, Illinois, before returning to Scotland in the 1880s. Blairmore was sold soon after Ian's birth. Cameron has said: "On my mother's side of the family, her mother was a Llewellyn, so Welsh . I'm a real mixture of Scottish , Welsh and English." He has also referenced the German Jewish ancestry of one of his great-grandfathers, Arthur Levita,
12971-469: Was caught smoking cannabis . He admitted the offence and had not been involved in selling drugs, so he was not expelled; instead he was fined, prevented from leaving the school grounds and given a " Georgic " (a punishment that involved copying 500 lines of Latin text). Cameron passed twelve O-levels and then three A levels : history of art ; history, in which he was taught by Michael Kidson ; and economics with politics. He obtained three 'A' grades and
13090-534: Was commented that he was still "very much in favour" and it was later reported that many at the Treasury would have preferred Cameron to carry on. At the beginning of September 1993, he applied to go on Conservative Central Office's list of prospective parliamentary candidates (PPCs). Cameron was much more socially liberal than Howard but enjoyed working for him. According to Derek Lewis , then Director-General of Her Majesty's Prison Service , Cameron showed him
13209-449: Was drafted in 1950 and its court (ECtHR) was established in 1953. EU institutions are bound under article 6 of the Treaty on European Union to respect human rights under the convention, over and above for example the Law of the United Kingdom . The Court was criticised especially within the Conservative Party for ruling in favour of British prisoners obtaining the right to vote. During
13328-481: 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. 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 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
13447-530: Was formed in 1994 by Sir James Goldsmith to contest the 1997 general election on a platform of providing a referendum on the UK's membership of the EU. It fielded candidates in 547 constituencies at that election, and won 810,860 votes or 2.6% of the total votes cast. It failed to win a single parliamentary seat because its vote was spread out across the country, and lost its deposit (funded by Goldsmith) in 505 constituencies. United Kingdom opted out from EU legislations . The UK Independence Party (UKIP),
13566-602: Was immediately replaced as shadow home secretary by Dominic Grieve ; Davis' surprise move was seen as a challenge to the changes introduced under Cameron's leadership. A reshuffle of the Shadow Cabinet was undertaken in January 2009, with the chief change being the appointment of former Chancellor of the Exchequer Kenneth Clarke as Shadow Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Secretary. Cameron stated that "With Ken Clarke's arrival, we now have
13685-642: Was implicated in the Greensill scandal . Cameron released his memoir, For the Record , in 2019. In 2023 he was appointed Foreign Secretary by Rishi Sunak and became a life peer as Baron Cameron of Chipping Norton. His tenure as Foreign Secretary was dominated by the Russian invasion of Ukraine , the Israel–Hamas war , and the Gaza humanitarian crisis . After the Conservatives lost the 2024 general election to
13804-466: Was not a member of Parliament he could not have been. 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. After Lamont was sacked, Cameron remained at the Treasury for less than a month before being specifically recruited by Home Secretary Michael Howard . It
13923-438: Was reported to have led Cameron to decide to leave politics in favour of journalism. 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
14042-412: Was tipped to follow Judith Chaplin as political secretary to the prime minister. Cameron lost to Jonathan Hill , who was appointed in March 1992. Instead, he was given the responsibility for briefing Major for his press conferences during the 1992 general election . 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
14161-402: Was viewed by the EU as a "settlement of accounts" unrelated to the post-exit trade agreement, and viewed by the UK as a 'goodwill payment' to enable a fair post-exit trade agreement. In the event of a no-deal scenario, each side will consequently have different views as to the validity of any payment. On 29 March 2017, the then British Prime Minister Theresa May formally triggered Article 50 of
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