UK Conservative Party Leaders Timeline

Contents

1834 – 1902
1902 – 1955
1955 – 2001
2001 – Present

Conservative Party Leaders Timeline 1834 – 1902

18th December 1834 – 29th June 1846

Sir Robert Peel

Prime Minister: Robert Peel was Prime Minister 1834 – 35
William Lamb, Viscount Melbourne (Whig Party) 1835 – 41
Robert Peel was Prime Minister 1841 – 46

29th June 1846 – 27th February 1868

Edward Smith-Stanley, Earl of Derby

Prime Ministers: Lord John Russell (Whig Party) 1846 – 52
Edward Smith-Stanley was Prime Minister 1852
George Hamilton Gordon, Earl of Aberdeen (Peelite Party) 1852 – 55
Henry John Temple, Viscount Palmerston (Whig Party) 1855 – 58
Edward Smith-Stanley was Prime Minister 1858 – 59
Viscount Palmerston (Liberal Party) 1859 – 65
Lord John Russell (Liberal Party) 1865 – 66
Edward Smith-Stanley was Prime Minister 1866 – 68

27th February 1868 – 19th April 1881

Benjamin Disraeli

Prime Minister: Benjamin Disraeli was Prime Minister 1868
William Ewart Gladstone (Liberal Party) 1868 – 74
Benjamin Disraeli was Prime Minister 1874 – 80
William Ewart Gladstone (Liberal Party) 1880 – 81

19th April 1881 – 23rd June 1885

Position Vacant

Prime Minister: William Ewart Gladstone (Liberal Party)

23rd June 1885 – 11th July 1902

Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, Marquess of Salisbury

Prime Ministers: Robert Gascoyne-Cecil was Prime Minister 1885 – 86
William Ewart Gladstone (Liberal Party) 1886
Robert Gascoyne-Cecil was Prime Minister 1886 – 92
William Ewart Gladstone (Liberal Party) 1892 – 94
Archibald Primrose, Earl of Rosebery (Liberal Party) 1894 – 95
Robert Gascoyne-Cecil was Prime Minister 1895 – 1902

Conservative Party Leaders Timeline 1902 – 1955

11th July 1902 – 13th November 1911

Arthur Balfour

Prime Minister: Arthur Balfour was Prime Minister 1902 – 05
Henry Campbell-Bannerman (Liberal Party) 1905 – 08
Herbert Asquith (Liberal Party) 1908 – 111

13th November 1911 – 10th December 1916

Position Vacant

Prime Ministers: Herbert Asquith (Liberal Party) 1911 – 1916
David Lloyd George (Liberal Party) 1916

10th December 1916 – 21st March 1921

Andrew Bonar Law

Prime Ministers: David Lloyd-George (Liberal Party)

21st March 1921 – 23rd October 1922

Position Vacant

Prime Minister: David Lloyd-George (Liberal Party)

23rd October 1922 – 28th May 1923

Andrew Bonar Law

Prime Minister: Andrew Bonar Law was Prime Minister

28th May 1923 – 31st May 1937

Stanley Baldwin

Prime Ministers: Stanley Baldwin was Prime Minister 1923 – 24
Ramsay MacDonald (Labour Party) 1924
Stanley Baldwin was Prime Minister 1924 – 29
Ramsay Macdonald (Labour Party) 1929 – 1935
Stanley Baldwin was Prime Minister 1935 – 37

31st May 1937 – 9th October 1940

Neville Chamberlain

Prime Minister: Neville Chamberlain was Prime Minister 1937 – 40

9th October 1940 – 21st April 1955

Winston Churchill

Prime Ministers: Winston Churchill was Prime Minister 1940 – 45
Clement Atlee (Labour Party) 1945 – 51
Winston Churchill was Prime Minister 1951 – 55

Conservative Party Leaders Timeline 1955 – 2001

21st April 1955 – 22nd January 1957

Anthony Eden

Prime Minister: Anthony Eden was Prime Minister

22nd January 1957 – 11th November 1963

Harold Macmillan

Prime Minister: Harold Macmillan was Prime Minister

11th November 1963 – 27th July 1965

Alec Douglas-Home

Prime Ministers: Alec Douglas-Home was Prime Minister 1963 – 64
Harold Wilson (Labour Party) 1964 – 1965

27th July 1965 – 11th February 1975

Edward Heath

Prime Ministers: Harold Wilson (Labour Party) 1965 – 1970
Edward Heath was Prime Minister 1970 – 74
Harold Wilson (Labour Party) 1974 – 1975

11th February 1975 – 28th November 1990

Margaret Thatcher

Prime Ministers: Harold Wilson (Labour Party) 1975 – 76
James Callaghan (Labour Party) 1976 – 79
Margaret Thatcher was Prime Minister 1979 – 90

28th November 1990 – 19th June 1997

John Major

Prime Ministers: John Major was Prime Minister 1990 – 1997
Tony Blair (Labour Party) 1997

19th June 1997 – 13th September 2001

William Hague

Prime Minister: Tony Blair (Labour Party)

Conservative Party Leaders Timeline 2001 – Present

13th September 2001 – 6th November 2003

Iain Duncan Smith

Prime Minister: Tony Blair (Labour Party)

6th November 2003 – 6th December 2005

Michael Howard

Prime Minister: Tony Blair (Labour Party)

6th December 2005 – 11th July 2016

David Cameron

Prime Minister: Tony Blair (Labour Party) 2005 – 07
Gordon Brown (Labour Party) 2007 – 10
David Cameron was Prime Minister 2010 – 16

11th July 2016 – 23rd July 2019

Theresa May

Prime Minister: Theresa May was Prime Minister

23rd July 2019 – 4th September 2022

Boris Johnson

Prime Minister: Boris Johnson was Prime Minister

5th September 2022 – 20th October

Liz Truss

Prime Minister: Liz Truss was Prime Minister

24th October 2022

Rishi Sunak

Prime Minister: Rishi Sunak is Prime Minister

First published 2020; updated and republished Jul 6 2022 @ 1:22 pm – Updated – [last-modified]

Harvard Reference for Conservative Party Leaders Timeline:

Heather Y Wheeler. (2020 – 2022). UK Conservative Party Leaders Timeline https://www.thetimelinegeek.com/conservative-party-leaders Last accessed [date]