Leader of the Conservative Party ( UK ) - wikipedia Leader of the Conservative Party ( UK ) Leader of the Conservative Party Incumbent Theresa May since 11 July 2016 Inaugural holder Robert Peel ( de facto ) Bonar Law ( de jure ) Formation 1834 ( de facto ) 1922 ( de jure ) The Leader of the Conservative Party in the United Kingdom is the most senior politician of the Conservative Party. To date, two of the leaders have been women ; Margaret Thatcher and Theresa May. The post is currently held by May, who succeeded David Cameron on 11 July 2016. Contents 1 Overall leaders of the Party ( 1834 -- 1922 ) 2 Leaders of the Party ( 1922 -- present ) 2.1 Living former party leaders 3 House of Lords and Commons leaders 3.1 Leaders in the House of Lords ( 1834 -- present ) 3.2 Leaders in the House of Commons ( 1834 -- 1922 ) 4 Elections of Conservative leaders by party meeting 4.1 House of Commons 4.2 House of Lords 5 See also 6 Notes 7 References Overall leaders of the Party ( 1834 -- 1922 ) Overall leader ( Birth -- Death ) Portrait Country of birth Constituency / Title Took office Left office Prime Minister ( term ) Sir Robert Peel ( 1788 -- 1850 ) England Tamworth 18 December 1834 29 June 1846 himself 1834 -- 35 Melbourne 1835 -- 41 himself 1841 -- 46 Edward Smith - Stanley 14th Earl of Derby from 1851 ( 1799 -- 1869 ) England Baron Stanley ( 1846 -- 1851 ) Earl of Derby ( 1851 -- 1868 ) 29 June 1846 27 February 1868 Russell 1846 -- 52 himself 1852 Aberdeen 1852 -- 55 Palmerston 1855 -- 58 himself 1858 -- 59 Palmerston 1859 -- 65 Russell 1865 -- 66 himself 1866 -- 68 Benjamin Disraeli 1st Earl of Beaconsfield from 1876 ( 1804 -- 1881 ) England Buckinghamshire ( 1868 -- 1876 ) Earl of Beaconsfield ( 1876 -- 1881 ) 27 February 1868 19 April 1881 ( Died in office ) himself 1868 Gladstone 1868 -- 74 himself 1874 -- 80 Gladstone 1880 -- 85 Vacant Leader of the Lords -- 3rd Marquess of Salisbury Leader of the Commons -- Stafford Northcote 19 April 1881 23 June 1885 Robert Gascoyne - Cecil 3rd Marquess of Salisbury ( 1830 -- 1903 ) England Marquess of Salisbury 23 June 1885 11 July 1902 himself 1885 -- 86 Gladstone 1886 himself 1886 -- 92 Gladstone 1892 -- 94 Rosebery 1894 -- 95 himself 1895 -- 1902 Arthur Balfour ( 1848 -- 1930 ) Scotland Manchester East ( 1902 -- 1906 ) City of London ( 1906 -- 1911 ) 11 July 1902 13 November 1911 himself 1902 -- 05 C. - Bannerman 1905 -- 08 Asquith 1908 -- 16 Vacant Leader of the Lords -- 5th Marquess of Lansdowne Leader of the Commons -- Bonar Law 13 November 1911 10 December 1916 Lloyd George 1916 -- 22 Bonar Law ( 1858 -- 1923 ) Canada Bootle ( 1916 -- 1918 ) Glasgow Central ( 1918 -- 1921 ) 10 December 1916 21 March 1921 Austen Chamberlain ( 1863 -- 1937 ) England Birmingham West 21 March 1921 23 October 1922 Leaders of the Party ( 1922 -- present ) Leader ( Birth -- Death ) Portrait Country of birth Constituency / Title Took office Left office Prime Minister ( term ) Bonar Law ( 1858 -- 1923 ) Canada Glasgow Central 23 October 1922 ( Party meeting ) 28 May 1923 himself Stanley Baldwin ( 1867 -- 1947 ) England Bewdley 28 May 1923 ( Party meeting ) 31 May 1937 himself 1923 -- 24 MacDonald 1924 himself 1924 -- 29 MacDonald 1929 -- 35 himself 1935 -- 37 Neville Chamberlain ( 1869 -- 1940 ) England Birmingham Edgbaston 31 May 1937 ( Party meeting ) 9 October 1940 himself 1937 -- 40 Churchill 1940 -- 45 Winston Churchill ( 1874 -- 1965 ) England Epping ( 1940 -- 1945 ) Woodford ( 1945 -- 1955 ) 9 October 1940 ( Party meeting ) 21 April 1955 himself 1940 -- 45 Attlee 1945 -- 51 himself 1951 -- 55 Anthony Eden ( 1897 -- 1977 ) England Warwick and Leamington 21 April 1955 ( Party meeting ) 22 January 1957 himself Harold Macmillan ( 1894 -- 1986 ) England Bromley 22 January 1957 ( Party meeting ) 11 November 1963 Alec Douglas - Home ( 1903 -- 1995 ) England Earl of Home ( 1963 ) Kinross and Western Perthshire ( 1963 -- 1965 ) 11 November 1963 ( Party meeting ) 27 July 1965 himself 1963 -- 64 Wilson 1964 -- 70 Edward Heath ( 1916 -- 2005 ) England Bexley ( 1965 -- 1974 ) Sidcup ( 1974 -- 1975 ) 27 July 1965 ( Elected ) 11 February 1975 himself 1970 -- 74 Wilson 1974 -- 76 Margaret Thatcher ( 1925 -- 2013 ) England Finchley 11 February 1975 ( Elected ) 28 November 1990 Callaghan 1976 -- 79 herself 1979 -- 90 John Major ( 1943 -- ) England Huntingdon 28 November 1990 ( Opponents withdrew ) 22 June 1995 himself 1990 -- 97 Vacant Prime Minister -- John Major 22 June 1995 4 July 1995 Major 1990 -- 97 John Major ( 1943 -- ) England Huntingdon 4 July 1995 ( Re-elected ) 19 June 1997 himself 1990 -- 97 Blair 1997 -- 2007 William Hague ( 1961 -- ) England Richmond ( Yorks ) 19 June 1997 ( Elected ) 13 September 2001 Iain Duncan Smith ( 1954 -- ) Scotland Chingford and Woodford Green 13 September 2001 ( Elected ) 6 November 2003 Michael Howard ( 1941 -- ) Wales Folkestone and Hythe 6 November 2003 ( Unopposed ) 6 December 2005 David Cameron ( 1966 -- ) England Witney 6 December 2005 ( Elected ) 11 July 2016 Brown 2007 -- 10 himself 2010 -- 16 Theresa May ( 1956 -- ) England Maidenhead 11 July 2016 ( Opponents withdrew ) Incumbent herself Living former party leaders There are five living former party leaders. From oldest to youngest : Leader Term of office Date of birth The Lord Howard of Lympne 2003 -- 2005 ( 1941 - 07 - 07 ) 7 July 1941 ( age 77 ) Sir John Major 1990 -- 1995 ( 1943 - 03 - 29 ) 29 March 1943 ( age 75 ) 1995 -- 1997 Iain Duncan Smith MP 2001 -- 2003 ( 1954 - 04 - 09 ) 9 April 1954 ( age 64 ) The Lord Hague of Richmond 1997 -- 2001 ( 1961 - 03 - 26 ) 26 March 1961 ( age 57 ) David Cameron 2005 -- 2016 ( 1966 - 10 - 09 ) 9 October 1966 ( age 51 ) House of lords and Commons leaders See also : Leader of the House of Lords and Leader of the House of Commons This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( December 2017 ) Leaders in the House of lords ( 1834 -- present ) Those asterisked were considered the overall leader of the party. The Duke of Wellington : 1834 -- 1846 The Lord Stanley ( 14th Earl of Derby from 1851 ) : 9 March 1846 -- 27 February 1868 *, elected at a party meeting ( see below ) The Earl of Malmesbury : 1868 -- 1869, appointed by Prime Minister Disraeli The Lord Cairns : 1869 -- 1870, elected at a party meeting ( see below ) The Duke of Richmond : 1870 -- 21 August 1876, elected at a party meeting ( see below ) The Earl of Beaconsfield : 21 August 1876 -- 19 April 1881 *, became Leader on elevation to the peerage The 3rd Marquess of Salisbury : 9 May 1881 -- 1902, elected at a party meeting ( see below ) ( overall leader from 1885 ) The Duke of Devonshire : 1902 -- 1903, appointed by Prime Minister Balfour The Marquess of Lansdowne : 1903 -- 1916, appointed by Prime Minister Balfour The Earl Curzon of Kedleston ( 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston from 1921 ) : 1916 -- 1925, appointed Leader of the House by Prime Minister Lloyd George The 4th Marquess of Salisbury : 1925 -- 1931, appointed by Prime Minister Baldwin The 1st Viscount Hailsham : 1931 -- 1935, took over post `` at the request of Mr Baldwin '' The Marquess of Londonderry : 1935 The Viscount Halifax : 1935 -- 1938 The Earl Stanhope : 1938 -- 1940 The Viscount Caldecote : 1940 The Viscount Halifax : 1940 The Lord Lloyd : 1940 -- 1941 The Lord Moyne : 1941 -- 1942 Viscount Cranborne ( born 1893 ) ( 5th Marquess of Salisbury from 1947 ) : 1942 -- 1957 The Earl of Home : 1957 -- 1960 The 2nd Viscount Hailsham : 1960 -- 1963 The Lord Carrington : 1963 -- 1970 The Earl Jellicoe : 1970 -- 1973 The Lord Windlesham : 1973 -- 1974 The Lord Carrington : 1974 -- 1979 The Lord Soames : 1979 -- 1981 The Baroness Young : 1981 -- 1983 The Viscount Whitelaw : 1983 -- 1988 The Lord Belstead : 1988 -- 1990 The Lord Waddington : 1990 -- 1992 The Lord Wakeham : 1992 -- 1994 Viscount Cranborne ( born 1946 ) : 1994 -- 1998 The Lord Strathclyde : 1998 -- 2013 The Lord Hill of Oareford : 2013 -- 2014 The Baroness Stowell of Beeston : 2014 -- 2016 The Baroness Evans of Bowes Park : 2016 -- present Leaders in the House of Commons ( 1834 -- 1922 ) Those asterisked were considered the overall leader of the party. Sir Robert Peel : 18 December 1834 -- 1846 * Lord George Bentinck : 1846 -- 1847 The Marquess of Granby : 9 February 1848 -- 4 March 1848, elected at a party meeting ( see below ) None : 1848 -- 1849 Jointly Benjamin Disraeli, the Marquess of Granby, and John Charles Herries : 1849 -- 1852, elected at a party meeting ( see below ) Benjamin Disraeli : 1852 -- 21 August 1876 ( overall leader from 27 February 1868 ) Sir Stafford Northcote : 21 August 1876 -- 24 June 1885, appointed by Prime Minister Beaconsfield Sir Michael Hicks Beach : 24 June 1885 -- 3 August 1886, appointed by Prime Minister Salisbury Lord Randolph Churchill : 3 August 1886 -- 14 January 1887, appointed by Prime Minister Salisbury William Henry Smith : 17 January 1887 -- 6 October 1891, appointed by Prime Minister Salisbury Arthur Balfour : 1891 -- 13 January 1906, appointed by Prime Minister Salisbury ( overall leader from 1902 ) Joseph Chamberlain : 1906 Arthur Balfour : 1906 -- 13 November 1911 * Bonar Law : 13 November 1911 -- 21 March 1921, elected at a party meeting ( see below ) ( overall leader from 1916 ) Austen Chamberlain : 21 March 1921 -- 23 October 1922, elected at a party meeting ( see below ) Elections of Conservative leaders by Party Meeting House of Commons # Date of meeting Name of leader elected Category attending meeting Location of meeting Chair Proposer Seconder Refs 9 February 1848 The Marquess of Granby Protectionist commoners Residence of George Bankes N / A N / A N / A 1 February 1849 Benjamin Disraeli N / A Residence of the Lord Stanley of Bickerstaffe N / A N / A N / A The Marquess of Granby John Charles Herries 13 November 1911 Bonar Law Unionist Members of Parliament Carlton Club, Pall Mall Henry Chaplin, senior Privy Councillor on the Unionist benches ( appointed 1885 ) Walter Long Austen Chamberlain 21 March 1921 Austen Chamberlain Unionist Members of Parliament Carlton Club, Pall Mall Lord Edmund Talbot, Conservative Chief Whip Captain Ernest George Pretyman Sir Edward Coates : `` a back bencher and one of the rank and file '' 5 23 October 1922 Bonar Law Unionist peers, MPs, and candidates Hotel Cecil, The Strand The Marquess Curzon of Kedleston, Leader of the House of Lords The Marquess Curzon of Kedleston Stanley Baldwin : `` chosen... to be the spokesman for the House of Commons '' 6 28 May 1923 Stanley Baldwin `` Conservative Party '' Hotel Cecil, The Strand The Marquess Curzon of Kedleston, Leader of the House of Lords The Earl of Derby Captain Ernest George Pretyman : `` a member of the House of Commons who ( had ) been a colleague in that House of Mr Bonar Law for something over 25 years '' 7 31 May 1937 Neville Chamberlain `` peers and MPs who receive the Conservative whip,... prospective candidates who have been adopted by constituency associations, and... members of the executive committee of the National Union of Conservative and Unionist associations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. '' Caxton Hall, Caxton Street The Viscount Halifax, Leader of the House of Lords The Earl of Derby Winston Churchill ( Privy Councillor since 1907 ) 8 9 October 1940 Winston Churchill `` Peers and MPs who receive the Conservative whip,... prospective candidates who have been adopted by constituency associations, and... members of the Executive Committee of the National Union of Conservative and Unionist Associations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. '' London The Viscount Halifax, Leader of the House of Lords The Viscount Halifax Sir George Courthope : `` one of the senior back benchers of the party '' 9 21 April 1955 Sir Anthony Eden `` Conservative and National Liberal members of the two Houses of Parliament, Conservative and National Liberal parliamentary candidates and members of the executive committee of the National Union of Conservative and Unionist Associations '' Church House, Dean 's Yard, Westminster The Marquess of Salisbury, Leader of the House of Lords The Marquess of Salisbury Rab Butler ( Privy Councillor since 1939 ) 10 22 January 1957 Harold Macmillan `` Conservative and Unionist members of the House of Lords and the House of Commons,... prospective parliamentary candidates and... members of the executive committee of the National Union of Conservative and Unionist Associations. National Liberal members of both Houses of Parliament and adopted prospective candidates were also present '' N / A The Marquess of Salisbury, Leader of the House of Lords The Marquess of Salisbury Rab Butler ( Privy Councillor since 1939 ) 11 11 November 1963 Sir Alec Douglas - Home `` members of both Houses of Parliament taking the Conservative whip, prospective candidates who ( had ) been adopted by constituency associations, members of the executive of the mass party, and National Liberal MPs and adopted prospective candidates '' Church House, Dean 's Yard, Westminster The Lord Carrington, Leader of the House of Lords The Lord Carrington Geoffrey Lloyd : `` the senior Conservative Privy Councillor in the Commons next in line to Sir Winston Churchill '' ( appointed 1943 ) House of Lords # Date of meeting Name of leader elected Category attending meeting Location of meeting Chair Proposer Seconder Notes 9 March 1846 The Lord Stanley of Bickerstaffe Peers Residence of the Duke of Richmond The Earl of Eglinton N / A N / A 15 February 1869 The Earl Cairns 23 peers N / A The Earl of Malmesbury The Earl of Malmesbury N / A 26 February 1870 The Duke of Richmond Peers Carlton Club N / A The Marquess of Salisbury The Earl of Derby 9 May 1881 The Marquess of Salisbury Conservative members of the House of Lords Residence of the Marquess of Abergavenny The Marquess of Abergavenny The Duke of Richmond The Earl Cairns See also British politics portal Conservatism portal Lists portal 1922 Committee Deputy Leader of the Conservative Party ( UK ) Leader of the Labour Party ( UK ) Leader of the Liberal Democrats Notes ^ Jump up to : Date of the Tamworth Manifesto. ^ Jump up to : Date on which Law became Leader of the House of Commons. Jump up ^ Granby resigned `` either in the end of December ( 1851 ) or on one of the first days of January ( 1852 ) ''. Jump up ^ Date on which Balfour failed to be elected in Manchester East. References Jump up ^ The Times, 17 June 1931 Jump up ^ Monypenny, William Flavelle ; Buckle, George Earle ( 1914 ). The life of Benjamin Disraeli, earl of Beaconsfield, Volume III. New York : The Macmillan Company. pp. 312 -- 3. Jump up ^ `` A Cabinet Council was held at half - past 2 o'clock. '' Times ( London, England ) 10 Feb. 1848 : 4. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 25 July 2014. Jump up ^ Malmesbury, The Right Hon. ( James Howard Harris, ) the ( 3rd ) Earl of ( 1885 ). Memoirs of an Ex-Minister. London : Longmans, Green, and Co. pp. 151 -- 2. Jump up ^ Monypenny, William Flavelle ; Buckle, George Earle ( 1914 ). The life of Benjamin Disraeli, earl of Beaconsfield, Volume III. New York : The Macmillan Company. pp. 138 -- 9. Jump up ^ `` The Unionist Leadership. '' Times ( London, England ) 14 Nov. 1911 : 9. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 19 July 2014. Jump up ^ `` Unionist M.P.s ' New Leader. '' Times ( London, England ) 22 Mar. 1921 : 12. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 19 July 2014. Jump up ^ `` Unionists Elect Mr. Bonar Law. '' Times ( London, England ) 24 Oct. 1922 : 18. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 25 July 2014. Jump up ^ `` Conservative Leader. '' Times ( London, England ) 29 May 1923 : 19. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 19 July 2014. Jump up ^ `` The New Leader And The Old. '' Times ( London, England ) 1 June 1937 : 17 +. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 19 July 2014. Jump up ^ `` Conservative Leader. '' Times ( London, England ) 10 Oct. 1940 : 2. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 19 July 2014. Jump up ^ Our Political Correspondent. `` Sir A. Eden as Leader. '' Times ( London, England ) 22 Apr. 1955 : 12. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 19 July 2014. Jump up ^ `` Mr. Macmillan states Party philosophy '', The Times, London, 23 January 1957 Jump up ^ Our Political Correspondent. ( 12 November 1963 ), `` Prime Minister is Ageless '', The Times, London, p. 12 Jump up ^ Malmesbury, The Right Hon. ( James Howard Harris, ) the ( 3rd ) Earl of ( 1885 ). Memoirs of an Ex-Minister. London : Longmans, Green, and Co. p. 124. Jump up ^ Malmesbury, The Right Hon. ( James Howard Harris, ) the ( 3rd ) Earl of ( 1885 ). Memoirs of an Ex-Minister. London : Longmans, Green, and Co. p. 645. Jump up ^ `` We are enabled to state that, in compliance with. '' Times ( London, England ) 28 Feb. 1870 : 9. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 26 July 2014. Jump up ^ `` Meeting Of The Conservative Peers. '' Times ( London, England ) 10 May 1881 : 10. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 25 July 2014. Conservative Party History Organisations Conservative Party Archive Topics History of the Conservative Party History of conservatism in Great Britain Tories Tamworth Manifesto Carlton Club Primrose League Tariff Reform League Coalition Coupon Carlton Club meeting General election manifestos Fourth Party Liberal Unionist Party Irish Conservative Party Irish Unionist Party Scottish Unionist Party National Liberal Party Leadership House of Lords ( 1828 -- 1922 ) Wellington Derby Malmesbury Cairns Richmond Beaconsfield Salisbury Devonshire Lansdowne Curzon House of Commons ( 1834 -- 1922 ) Peel Bentinck Granby vacant ( 1848 -- 1849 ) Disraeli / Granby / Herries Disraeli Northcote Hicks Beach R. Churchill Smith Balfour Law A. Chamberlain Leaders ( 1922 -- ) Law Baldwin N. Chamberlain W. Churchill Eden Macmillan Douglas - Home Heath Thatcher Major Hague Duncan Smith Howard Cameron May Chairmen ( 1911 -- ) Steel - Maitland Younger Jackson Davidson N. Chamberlain Baird Hacking Dugdale Assheton Woolton Poole Hailsham Butler Macleod / Poole Blakenham du Cann Barber Thomas Carrington Whitelaw Thorneycroft Parkinson Gummer Tebbit Brooke Baker Patten Fowler Hanley Mawhinney Parkinson Ancram Davis May Fox / Saatchi Maude Spelman Pickles Warsi / Feldman Shapps / Feldman Feldman McLoughlin Lewis See also Deputy Leader of the Conservative Party Leadership elections 1965 Heath Thatcher Thatcher re-elected Major 1995 Major re-elected Hague Duncan Smith 2003 Howard 2005 Cameron 2016 May Next Party structure Professional Conservative Party Board Conservative Campaign Headquarters Voluntary National Conservative Convention Parliamentary 1922 Committee Conservative Chief Whip 's Office Conference Conservative Party Conference Subnational Northern Ireland Conservatives Scottish Conservatives Welsh Conservative Party Gibraltar Conservatives Directly elected city mayoral authorities London Conservatives Local Conservative Associations Associated organisations List Organisations associated with the Conservative Party Sectional groups Conservative Women 's Organisation Young Conservatives Conservatives Abroad LGBT+ Conservatives Association of Conservative Clubs Factional groups Activate The Atlantic Bridge Conservative Animal Welfare Group Conservative Christian Fellowship Conservative Countryside Forum Conservative Disability Group Conservative Europe Group Conservative Friends of America Conservative Friends of Gibraltar Conservative Friends of Israel Conservative Friends of Turkey Conservative History Group Conservative Humanist Association Conservative Mainstream Conservative Health Conservative Muslim Forum Conservative Education Society Conservative National Property Advisory Committee Conservative Rural Affairs Group Conservative Technology Forum Conservative Trade Unionists Conservative Transport Group Conservative Way Forward Conservative Women National Committee Conservative Workers & Trade Unionists Conservatives 4 Cities Conservatives Against Fox Hunting Conservatives at Work Conservatives for International Travel Cornerstone Group Countryside Alliance European Foundation Fresh Start Macleod Group Margaret Thatcher Foundation Monday Club 92 Group No Campaign No Turning Back Selsdon Group Tory Green Initiative Tory Reform Group Renewing One Nation Young Britons ' Foundation Conservative Co-operative Movement Think tanks Bow Group Bright Blue Bruges Group Centre for Policy Studies Centre for Social Justice European Foundation Policy Exchange Society of Conservative Lawyers Party alliances Current List of current alliances Alliance of Conservatives and Reformists in Europe ( European Conservatives and Reformists ) International Democrat Union ( European Democrat Union ) European Conservatives Group Conservative -- DUP agreement Former List of former alliances European People 's Party ( European People 's Party group ) European Conservative Group European Democrats Movement for European Reform Alliance for an Open Europe Ulster Conservatives and Unionists ( Ulster Unionist Party ) Conservatism portal Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Leader_of_the_Conservative_Party_(UK)&oldid=846583909 '' Categories : Leaders of the Conservative Party ( UK ) Organisation of the Conservative Party ( UK ) Lists of leaders of political parties Conservative Party ( UK ) - related lists Hidden categories : All accuracy disputes Articles with disputed statements from September 2017 Articles needing additional references from December 2017 All articles needing additional references Talk Contents About Wikipedia Ελληνικά Français Norsk Polski Scots Simple English 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 19 June 2018, at 17 : 26 ( UTC ). 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Question: who is the leader for the conservative party
Answer: Theresa May