About the lecture

In this module, we think about the electoral success of the Conservative Party in what Anthony Seldon has described as the ‘long Conservative century’, 1886-2019, focusing in particular on: (i) the number of times the Conservatives have been the party in power (either in their own right or as part of a coalition) and the tendency for Conservatives, when they achieve power, to stay in power for a long time; (ii) the three low-points in post-war electoral history: the landslide defeats in 1945 and 1997, and their defeat in 1974; and (iii) the mixed fortunes of the Conservative party between 2010-2019, in which they have been the largest party in all three elections (2010, 2015, 2017), but with only one (very modest) majority.

About the lecturer

Dr Richard Hayton is Associate Professor in Politics at the University of Leeds. His research interests are focused on British party politics, ideologies and leadership, and a number of related themes. He has published extensively on Conservative politics, and has edited special issues of the journals Parliamentary Affairs on the politics of Coalition, and British Politics on the fate of Conservative Modernisation. His most recent publication is Reconstructing Conservatism? The Conservative Party in Opposition, 1997-2010 (2012).