Deputy Leader of the Conservative Party (UK)

Deputy Leader of the Conservative Party is sometimes an official title of a senior Conservative politician of the United Kingdom.

Some are given this title officially by the party, such as Peter Lilley,[1] while others are given the title as an unofficial description by the media, such as William Hague.[2] The first politician to hold the office as such was Reginald Maudling, appointed by Edward Heath in 1965.[3] Distinct from being "second-in-command", there is formally no current position of deputy party leader in the party's hierarchy.[4]

The term has sometimes been mistakenly used to refer to the party's deputy chair.[5]

List of deputy leaders
Name Term began Term ended Concurrent office(s) Leader
Reginald Maudling 4 August 1965[6] 18 July 1972[7] Deputy Leader of the Opposition (1965–1970)[8]
Shadow Foreign Secretary (1965)
Shadow Defence Secretary (1968–1969)
Home Secretary (1970–1972)		 Edward Heath
Not in use from 1972 to 1975
The Viscount Whitelaw 12 February 1975[9] 7 August 1991[10] Deputy Leader of the Opposition (1975–1979)[11]
Shadow Home Secretary (1976–1979)
Home Secretary (1979–1983)
Leader of the House of Lords (1983–1988)[12]		 Margaret Thatcher
John Major
Not in use from 1991 to 1998
Peter Lilley 2 June 1998[13] 15 June 1999[13] Deputy Leader of the Opposition (1998–1999)[14] William Hague
Not in use from 1999 to 2001
Michael Ancram 18 September 2001[15] 6 December 2005[15] Deputy Leader of the Opposition (2001–2005)[16]
Shadow Foreign Secretary (2001–2005)[15]
Shadow Defence Secretary (2005)[15]		 Iain Duncan Smith
Michael Howard
Not in use since 2005

Living former deputy leaders

There are currently two living former deputy leaders:

See also

References
  1. "Peter Lilley, Member of Parliament for Hitchin and Harpenden". The Conservative Party. Archived from the original on 6 August 2016. Retrieved 17 July 2016. He stood for the Conservative Leadership in 1997; becoming Shadow Chancellor then Deputy Leader of the Conservative Party Responsible for Policy Renewal until 2000.
  2. Andrew Porter, Political Editor (14 January 2009). "David Cameron anoints William Hague as his deputy". The Telegraph. Retrieved 17 July 2016. {{cite news}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  3. Blake, Robert (14 August 1965). "A Watershed in English Politics". The Illustrated London News. Vol. 247. p. 20. The most striking feature, however, of Mr. Heath's reconstruction is the appointment of a Deputy Leader. This is the first time that such a position has been created in the Conservative hierarchy [...]
  4. Guardian editorial (17 June 2015). "The Guardian view on party deputy leaders: a job about nothing". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 July 2016.
  5. Ann Gripper (11 May 2015). "David Cameron's 2015 cabinet: Meet the ministers appointed in all Conservative post-election reshuffle". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 17 July 2016. Robert Halfon will become deputy leader of the Conservative Party.
  6. Ball, Stuart (1998). The Conservative Party Since 1945. Manchester: Manchester University Press. p. 187.
  7. "Heath Faces Cabinet Reshuffle". 24 July 1972. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
  8. Wood, J. R. T. (24 December 1966). A Matter of Weeks Rather Than Months: The Impasse between Harold Wilson and Ian Smith. ISBN 9781466934092. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
  9. Report on World Affairs. Vol. 56. Commonwealth Parliamentary Association. 1975. p. 71.
  10. "Willie Whitelaw dies aged 81". The Guardian. Press Association. 1 July 1991. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
  11. Young, Hugo (18 November 2008). The Hugo Young Papers: Thirty Years of British Politics – Off the Record. ISBN 9780141903606. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
  12. "Thatcher's No. 2 Cabinet minister resigns". Upi.com. 10 January 1988. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
  13. "Parliamentary career for Lord Lilley". parliament.uk. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
  14. Mark D'Arcy. "Democracy Live – Peter Lilley MP". BBC News. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
  15. "Parliamentary career for The Marquess of Lothian". parliament.uk. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
  16. "Peerage for the Rt Hon Michael Ancram". Gov.uk. 21 October 2010. Retrieved 3 July 2019.


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