Premiership of David Cameron

The Right Honourable
David Cameron
MP

Official 10 Downing Street portrait
First Lord of the Treasury
Prime Minister
Assumed office
11 May 2010
Monarch Elizabeth II
Deputy Nick Clegg (2010–15)
Preceded by Gordon Brown
Personal details
Born David William Donald Cameron
(1966-10-09) 9 October 1966
Marylebone, London, United Kingdom
Nationality British
Political party Conservative
Spouse(s) Samantha Sheffield (m. 1996)
Children Ivan (deceased)
Nancy
Arthur
Florence
Residence 10 Downing Street
Alma mater Brasenose College, Oxford
Religion Anglicanism
Website Official website

The premiership of David Cameron began on 11 May 2010 when Cameron accepted the Queen's invitation to form a government. This occurred upon the resignation of Cameron's predecessor as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Gordon Brown. While serving as prime minister, Cameron also serves as the First Lord of the Treasury, the Minister for the Civil Service and the Leader of the Conservative Party.

After the 2010 general election, Cameron became prime minister at the head of a coalition government between the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats, as no party had gained an overall majority in the House of Commons. As one of his first moves Cameron appointed Nick Clegg, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, as Deputy Prime Minister. Between them, the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats controlled 363 seats in the House of Commons, with a majority of 76 seats.[1]

Following the 2015 general election, Cameron remained prime minister, except this time at the head of a Conservative-only government with a majority of 12 seats.[2]

First term (2010–2015)

At the 2010 general election on 6 May, the Conservative Party achieved its highest number of seats since the 1992 election, returning 306 MPs. However, it was still 20 seats short of an overall majority, resulting in the nation's first hung parliament since February 1974.[3] Talks between Cameron and Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg led to a coalition of the two parties, enabling the Queen to invite Cameron to form a government and become prime minister.

Entering government

Cameron is seen in front of Uthayan newspaper office which has been attacked several times and a number of its staff have been murdered.

Cameron and his wife Samantha Cameron were driven from Buckingham Palace, arriving at Downing Street on 11 May. Cameron paid tribute to the outgoing Labour government and his predecessor Gordon Brown.[4] He went on to describe the "difficult decisions" to reach "better times ahead".[5] Cameron met with his party's MPs on 11 May, whose cheers of jubilation were heard from the central hall of the Commons.[6] It is likely that he then explained the details of any coalition agreements made between the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats.[7]

Cameron made his first official visits as prime minister in May. He first visited Scotland and met with the First Minister Alex Salmond,[8] followed by Wales to meet with the First Minister Carwyn Jones, and Northern Ireland to meet with the First Minister Peter Robinson. His first trip to a foreign country was on 20 May to France where he met with the French President Nicolas Sarkozy.[9] He visited Germany on 21 May where he held talks with Chancellor Angela Merkel.[10]

Cabinet appointments

A press conference on the new cabinet took place on 12 May 2010. Soon after Cameron took office, it was confirmed that the Leader of the Liberal Democrats, Nick Clegg, would be appointed to the semi-official role of Deputy Prime Minister,[11] while George Osborne would become the Chancellor of the Exchequer.[12] Later it was confirmed that William Hague had assumed the post of Foreign Secretary[13] and the new Home Secretary would be Theresa May. Cameron's cabinet included Clegg and four other Liberal Democrats: Danny Alexander, Vince Cable, Chris Huhne, and David Laws.

Policy

Economic issues and programme for austerity

The economy was a priority in the continuing wake of late-2000s financial crisis and the consequent increasing government debt when Cameron came into office, with the topic being of much concern in British public opinion. The government announced a policy, later called 'Plan A', of eliminating the structural deficit and ensuring that the debt-to-GDP ratio started falling by the end of the parliament in 2015.[14][15] To facilitate this goal, the Office for Budget Responsibility and a government-wide spending review were created.[16] While several government agencies have enacted spending decreases, funding policies for the National Health Service and for overseas development have been exempt.[17]

In February 2013, the UK lost its AAA credit rating, the retention of which the government had indicated to be a priority when coming to power, for the first time since 1978.[18] By 2015 the annual deficit had been cut by about half of the initial target, so the debt-to-GDP ratio was still rising. Government debt had increased more during the 5-year term than during the previous 13 years.[19]

Specifically, Cameron's first term in office, enacting changes from 2010 to 2014, involved about £100 billion of cuts in government expenditures. In terms of economic growth, the figures that came in where generally below expectations at first, but nationwide growth picked up to an annual rate of 3% by the end of 2014, indicating a mixed picture as many of the new job positions being created have featured relatively low wages. Cameron's administration has also pursued a policy of tax increases; however, the bulk of the deficit reduction that has occurred, more than 80% of the total, has been related to spending cuts.[17]

In 2014, Cameron stated that the austerity programme would continue into the next parliament with further cuts to be decided after the election.[17]

NHS reforms

The Health and Social Care Bill was the most deep-rooted and extensive reworking of the structure of the National Health Service ever undertaken.[20] The bill had implications for all health organisations in the NHS, not least for NHS primary care trusts (PCTs) and Strategic Health Authorities (SHAs) which were by Clinical commissioning groups principally run by local GPs.

The bill was one of the government's most controversial proposals, and in April 2011 the government announced a "listening exercise" postponing further action on the bill until after the May 2011 local election. The controversy arose in part because the proposals were not discussed during the 2010 general election campaign and were not contained in the 20 May 2010 Conservative – Liberal Democrat coalition agreement,[20] which in fact declared an intention to "stop the top-down reorganisations of the NHS that have got in the way of patient care". However within two months a white paper outlined what the Daily Telegraph called the "biggest revolution in the NHS since its foundation".[21]

Arms sales

During the throes of the Arab Spring, for which he had voiced support, Cameron spent three days touring undemocratic Gulf states with eight of Britain's leading defence manufacturers.[22] In response to the ensuing criticism, Cameron issued a three-point defence.[23] Early in 2012, Cameron again visited the Middle East to "broaden and deepen" business ties with Saudi Arabia[24]—Britain's leading arms export market—even after Amnesty International had several weeks earlier accused the Saudi government of unleashing a wave of repression against the repressed minority-Shia population in the east of the country, and even as Saudi troops added to the list of Shia protesters they had shot dead.[25][26][27] The week before his Saudi visit, the Committees on Arms Export Controls published questions it had asked the Coalition regarding arms sales to Saudi Arabia, in particular querying why, when there was unrest in the country in 2011, licences for a range of equipment had not been revoked.[24]

In 2014, after Israel's Operation Protective Edge, Cameron's government came under pressure to place an arms embargo on Israel.[28] In the end, however, in what was described as a "very weak" response, Vince Cable, whose department is ultimately responsible for such matters, only issued a threat to suspend 12 export licences if violence escalated again.[29] The threat was dismissed in Israel, and was described by one leading Israeli journalist as simply "an attempt at gesture politics to local voters".[30]

Syria

Foreign Office minister overseeing Syria policy 2010-2013, Alistair Burt, meeting with the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces

The government was critical of Bashar al-Assad's government in the 2011 Syrian uprisings stating it had "forfeited the right to lead" by "miring itself in the blood of innocent people", and backed the rebels. On 24 February 2012, the government recognised the Syrian National Council as a "legitimate representative" of the country.[31] On 20 November 2012, the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces was recognised as the "sole legitimate representative" of the Syrian people, and a credible alternative to the Syrian government.[32]

On 21 August 2013, immediately following a chemical-weapons attack at Ghouta, Cameron urged U.S. President Barack Obama to respond with a military intervention.[33] However a motion to participate in military strikes against the Syrian government was defeated in parliament on 29 August 2013. This was the first time that a British government was blocked from taking a military action by parliament.[34] After the vote Cameron said:

"I strongly believe in the need for a tough response to the use of chemical weapons but I also believe in respecting the will of this House of Commons ... It is clear to me that the British Parliament, reflecting the views of the British people, does not want to see British military action. I get that and the Government will act accordingly."[35]

Ultimately a negotiated agreement was reached to eliminate Syria's chemical weapons.

The Islamic State

Retired General Richard Shirreff said that Cameron's "flaccid" response to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant would embolden Putin's moves in the Ukraine.[36]

Referendum on Scottish independence

A victory by the Scottish National Party in the 2011 Scottish general election raised the prospect of the Scottish Government holding an independence referendum within the following five years. Though the constitution is reserved to Westminster, the SNP planned to get round that by holding a referendum to seek a mandate to negotiate for independence.[37] In October 2012 Cameron said that the campaign to keep Scotland within the United Kingdom was a priority for the government.[38]

Delayed payment of EU dues

In November 2014 Cameron stated that the UK would not pay its EU dues.[39] George Osborne later claimed victory on the dispute, noting that the UK wouldn't have to pay additional interest on the payments, which would be delayed until after Britain's 7 May 2015 general election.[40]

Scandals

News of the World phone hacking scandal

Cameron's close relationship with senior figures of News International came under increasing scrutiny as the controversy of the News of the World phone hacking scandal grew.[43] A close friend of Rebekah Brooks, Cameron had also hired Andy Coulson as his communications director before Coulson was implicated in, and later arrested for his role in, the phone hacking. Cameron, who had spent his Christmas with Brooks,[44] was accused by Ed Miliband of being "out of step with public opinion" and lacking leadership on the matter due to his "close relationships" with News International.[45] The scandal was further aggravated by the announcement he had ridden Rebekah Brooks horse on loan from the Metropolitan Police, and the implicit involvement of Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt, whom had been handed jurisdiction over Rupert Murdoch's BSkyB bid after Vince Cable's supposed expression of bias, in passing confidential information to the Murdoch empire regarding the bid's progress[46] Right-wing political commentator Peter Oborne argued that it was no longer possible to assert that Cameron was "grounded with a decent set of values" after a "succession of chronic personal misjudgements", equating the scandal with Tony Blair's decision to go to war in Iraq as a turning point in his premiership, and calling for him to distance himself from Brooks.[47]

Second term (2015–)

Following the 2015 general election, Cameron remained prime minister, this time at the head of a Conservative-only government with a majority of 12 seats.[48] Labour's failure to make gains and the loss of 49 seats by the Liberal Democrats enabled Cameron to form a government without a coalition, resulting in the first Conservative-only cabinet since 1997.[49][50]

2015 Summer Budget

Following the election victory Chancellor George Osborne announced that there would be a second 2015 budget on 8 July. The main announcements[51] included

Referendum on the European Union

A referendum on Britain's membership of the European Union is expected by 2017, as set out in the Conservative manifesto for the 2015 general election. Following the election, Cameron visited a number of European leaders to discuss renegotiation and treaty change as promised before holding the referendum.[52]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Lyall, Sarah (25 June 2014). "Britain's Improbable New Leaders Promise Big Changes". The New York Times.
  2. ↑ "Election 2015 - Results". BBC News. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
  3. ↑ "Election 2010 results". BBC News (BBC). 7 May 2010. Retrieved 13 May 2010.
  4. ↑ "David Cameron's Speech on the steps of 10 Downing St". BBC News (BBC). 11 May 2010. Retrieved 11 May 2010.
  5. ↑ His speech is available on Wikiquote at his page.
  6. ↑ "Loud Cheers come from Committee Room during Tory MP Meeting". BBC TV News (BBC). 11 May 2010.
  7. ↑ "Guardian Live Blog detailing Plans to meet MP's at Commons". Guardian Live Election Blog (Guardian Newspaper). 11 May 2010. Retrieved 11 May 2010.
  8. ↑ BBC News - Cameron calls for Scots 'respect'
  9. ↑ BBC News - Cameron defends staying out of euro as he meets Sarkozy
  10. ↑ BBC News - Cameron wants strong EU role but will not yield powers
  11. ↑ "David Cameron and Nick Clegg pledge 'united' coalition". BBC News. 12 May 2010. Retrieved 13 May 2010.
  12. ↑ "George Osborne to become Chancellor of the Exchequer". BBC News 24 Ticker (BBC). 11 May 2010.
  13. ↑ "William Hague to become Foreign Secretary". BBC News 24 Ticker (BBC). 11 May 2010.
  14. ↑ Nicholas Watt (21 November 2011). "David Cameron acknowledges problems with reducing national debt". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
  15. ↑ Emma Rowley (12 June 2011). "UK economy 'Plan A' - Is George Osborne on the right path?". The Sunday Telegraph. Retrieved 12 June 2011.
  16. ↑ Martin Wolf (10 June 2010). "A question for chancellor Osborne". The Financial Times. Retrieved 10 June 2011.
  17. 1 2 3 Elliott, Larry (10 November 2014). "David Cameron warns of more cuts". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
  18. ↑ "UK's credit rating cut humiliating, Labour says". BBC News. 23 February 2013. Retrieved 3 November 2014.
  19. ↑ Asa Bennett (26 March 2015). "National debt, the deficit and cuts: where does each party stand in General Election 2015?". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
  20. 1 2 British Medical Journal, 2011; 342:d408, Dr Lansley’s Monster
  21. ↑ Andrew Porter (9 July 2010). "Biggest revolution in the NHS for 60 years". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
  22. ↑ Nicholas Watt; Robert Booth (21 February 2011). "David Cameron's Cairo visit overshadowed by defence tour". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 June 2011.
  23. ↑ Nicholas Watt (22 February 2011). "David Cameron hits out at critics of Britain's arms trade". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 June 2011.
  24. 1 2 "David Cameron in talks with Saudi king". BBC News. 13 January 2012. Retrieved 23 January 2012.
  25. ↑ "Saudi Arabia rejects Amnesty repression claims". BBC News. 1 December 2012. Retrieved 23 January 2012.
  26. ↑ Bill Law (14 December 2011). "Saudi crackdown takes on sectarian character". BBC News. Retrieved 23 January 2012.
  27. ↑ "Shia protester 'shot dead' in Saudi Arabia". BBC News. 13 January 2012. Retrieved 23 January 2012.
  28. ↑ Wintour, Patrick (6 August 2014). "Impose arms embargo on Israel, says Andrew Mitchell". theguardian.com. Retrieved 17 August 2014.
  29. ↑ Bennett, Asa (12 August 2014). "Vince Cable Condemned Over 'Very Weak' Threat To Suspend Arms Sales To Israel". The Huffington Post UK. Retrieved 17 August 2014.
  30. ↑ Pfeffer, Anshel (13 August 2014). "Arms embargoes had little effect on Israel in the past". haaretz.com. Retrieved 17 August 2014.
  31. ↑ "UK boosts Syria opposition ties, William Hague reveals". BBC. 24 February 2012.
  32. ↑ "Syria conflict: UK recognises opposition, says William Hague". BBC. 20 November 2012. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  33. ↑ David Blair (8 September 2013). "Syria: Hague says lack of military action would be 'alarming'". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  34. ↑ Robert Winnett (29 August 2013). "Syria crisis: No to war, blow to Cameron". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  35. ↑ "Key quotes: Syria debate". BBC. 30 August 2013. Retrieved 2 August 2014.
  36. ↑ Farmer, Ben (31 August 2014). "Top general blasts Cameron's weakness on Putin and Islamic State". www.telegraph.co.uk (The Telegraph). Retrieved 31 August 2014.
  37. ↑ Severin Carrell (8 May 2011). "Scottish independence: Cameron gives green light to referendum". The Observer. Retrieved 2 August 2014.
  38. ↑ Settle, Michael; Dinwoodie, Robbie (9 October 2012). "PM: Saving Union is my No 1 priority". The Herald (Glasgow). Retrieved 9 October 2012.
  39. ↑ Traynor, Ian; Syal, Rajeev (24 October 2014). "David Cameron refuses to pay £1.7bn EU bill by 1 December deadline". www.theguardian.com (The Guardian). Retrieved 24 October 2014.
  40. ↑ CASERT, RAF (7 November 2014). "Britain Claims Victory in EU Bill Standoff". abcnews.go.com (Associated Press). Retrieved 10 November 2014.
  41. 1 2 "Theresa May plays blame game on UK border controls". The Week. Retrieved 19 August 2012.
  42. ↑ "Taking Vince Cable off the BSkyB case". Retrieved 19 August 2012.
  43. ↑ Singleton, David (8 July 2011). "News of the World Closure does not let Cameron off the Hook". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 2011-07-08.
  44. ↑ Watt, Nicholas; Sabbagh, Dan (20 January 2011). "David Cameron met Rebekah Brooks after Vince Cable lost BSkyB power". The Guardian. Retrieved 2011-07-08./
  45. ↑ Mulholland, Hélène (7 July 2011). "Miliband questions Cameron's 'close relationships' with News International". The Guardian. Retrieved 2011-07-08.
  46. ↑ "The BSkyB takeover emails". BBC. 25 April 2012.
  47. ↑ Oborne, Peter (6 July 2011). "David Cameron is in the sewer because of his News International friends". The Telegraph. Retrieved 2011-07-08.
  48. ↑ "Election results: Conservatives win majority". BBC News. Retrieved 2015-06-04.
  49. ↑ correspondent, Nicholas Watt Chief political. "David Cameron unveils first Tory-only cabinet in 18 years". the Guardian. Retrieved 2015-06-04.
  50. ↑ "Election 2015: Who's Who in David Cameron's new cabinet". BBC News. Retrieved 2015-06-04.
  51. ↑ "Summer Budget 2015: key announcements".
  52. ↑ "EU referendum: David Cameron pushes leaders on reforms". BBC News. Retrieved 2015-06-04.

Further reading

External links

Wikinews has related news: UK elections: David Cameron becomes Prime Minister
Preceded by
Gordon Brown		 British Premierships
2010-present 		Succeeded by
Incumbent
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