Prime ministers

• Margaret Thatcher became leader of the conservative party in 1975 after defeating Edward Heatt
• Margaret Thatcher was elected as Britain’s first female PM in 1979 until 1990
• Margaret Thatcher successes:

  • privatisation reduced inflation
  • brought in reforms to prevent trade union power
  • Falklands
  • relationship with the US
• Margaret Thatcher failures:

  • increased divisions in society due to income inequality
  • high levels of unemployment
  • “poll tax” led to riots and protests
  • community disintegration
  • EU divisions
• Margaret Thatcher was said to have a “kitchen cabinet” making her transformational
• Margaret Thatcher faced criticism for being uncompromising
• Margaret Thatcher had a majority most of the time she was PM but lost power due to leadership challenges as her popularity decreased
• Margaret Thatcher economic beliefs:

  • free market economy
  • monetarism (control money supply)
  • strong national defence
• Margaret Thatcher social beliefs:

  • individual responsibility
  • stricter law and order
  • conservative traditional values
• John major won a small

  majority of 21 seats but shocked everyone by winning against Thatcher in 1990
• John major won again in 1992
• John major tan a cabinet gov
• John major successes:

  • handled the gulf war well
  • worked with cabinet and was more inclusive
  • progress towards peace deal with Northern Ireland
  • replaced the unpopular poll tax with a more popular council tax (we still use)
• John major failures:

  • miss handled “black wed”
  • not respected by cabinet - frequent back bench revolts (Eurosceptics)
  • MP sleeve toward end of prime ministership
• John major 


  1990 - 1997
• Tony Blair successes:

  • minimum wage reduced poverty
  • bank of england given power over setting interest rates
  • By 2001 inflation, interest rates and unemployment were quite low
  • devolution of northern ireland
  • House of Lords reform
  • engaged in major capital improvement building schools and hospitals
• Tony Blair failures:

  • continued complaints police forces were “constitutional racist”
  • terrorist attacks
  • tri-partie system failed in long run
  • Brown criticised for selling gold at a low rate
  • poverty didn’t fall fast enough to meet targets - income of rich and poor gap increased
• Gordon Brown 


  2007 - 2010
• Tony Blair 


  1997 - 2007
• Gordon Brown had been Blair’s chancellor of the exchequer
• Brown’s prime ministership was ended by the financial crash of 2008
• The media portrayed Brown negatively throughout his time as PM
• Cameron became conservative party leader in 2005
• 2007-09 MP expenses scandal and the global economic crisis of 2008 led to a hung parliament and coalition in 2010
• David Cameron successes:

  • legalised same sex marriages
  • democratic processes - consulted parliament and coalition
  • modernised the conservative agenda
  • increased minimum wage
• David Cameron failures:

  • Brexit referendum’s legitimacy - 51.9% voted leave, 48.1% voted remain
  • rise of ISIS
• Cameron made cuts (austerity programme) due to challenging economic crisis
• 2015 general election destroyed lib dems - Cameron then had a majority
• Cameron had political drive/will but was limited by his need to consult Cabinet and Nick Clegg due to coalition agreement
• poll tax: everyone had to pay the same amount of tax
• The conservatives were divided during Major’s time as PM over The EU, led to Major’s “back me or sack me“ campaign
• Blair was said run a “sofa gov” - transformational style
• Brown invested a lot of money into banks and nationalised them to help them during the financial crash
• Boris Johnson initially inherited a minority from Theresa May which hampered his ability to get his version of Brexit through parliament
• Johnson’s “Get Brexit done” campaign enabled him to him over the so called “Red-wall” working class northern voters in areas that felt labour no longer spoke for them
• Johnson expanded number 10’s operations, centralising gov and mandating all SpAds to report directly to him
• Johnson’s Cabinet held ministers that were inexperienced and were labled as “yes men and women“ due to their support and agreement for all his decisions
• Boris Johnson‘s successes:

  • UK vaccination process - Britain ahead of nearly every country
  • Brexit - left the EU by Jan 31st 2020
  • Australian style point based system where EU citizens wishing to live and work in the UK must apply for a visa via point based system
• Boris Johnson’s failures:

  • no rise in rates of income tax, NI or VAT
  • triple lock promise broken - state pension did not increase
  • broke manifesto pledge to spend 0.7% of GNI on international aid
  • “party gate” - media exposed during COVID
  • Oct 26th 2021 - Owen Paterson scandal
• Elizabeth Truss 


  6th September 2022 to 25th October 2022