Modern British Prime Ministers: Thatcher to May

British Political History: Margaret Thatcher and Onwards

Margaret Thatcher

As the first female Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher came to power in a country facing industrial and economic chaos. Despite having limited experience, she adopted a personal style of indomitable self-confidence and showed no weakness.

• She created free-market policies that included trade liberalisation, deregulation, austerity, and sweeping privatisation.
• She focused on breaking the power of unions and emphasized the individual and their enterprises.
• She rejected the welfare state in an attempt to promote free markets and lower inflation, shifting the economic focus from Keynesianism to monetarism and adopting a style of bullying authoritarianism.
• Thatcherism had profound economic and social impacts on Britain, creating social divides and installing a conservative, neoliberalist ideal in the country.

John Major

The Conservative successor to Thatcher, John Major led a party that had ruled for 18 consecutive years.

• While he shared most of Thatcher’s conservative views, he showed himself to be more pragmatic and consensus-oriented in his approach.
• His leadership coincided with an economic recession. His government became unpopular due to his indecisive manner and the public's impatience with the Conservative Party.
• Ultimately, the Conservatives lost by a landslide to the Labour Party.

Tony Blair

The charismatic creator of the New Labour Party, Tony Blair shifted the party away from the collectivism and socialism of the past toward a more centrist position.

• He aimed to shift the focus from equality of outcome to equality of opportunity.
• His policies became more based on capitalism and neoliberalism, similar to Thatcher.
• He emphasized the use of the welfare state to foster a more educated population that would, in turn, give back to the community.

Gordon Brown

A member of the Labour Party, Gordon Brown was considered a fiscal conservative and an "economic wizard," though he lacked charisma.

• He faced the 2008 recession and struggled to lead the country out of the economic crisis.
• He also had to deal with the scandal involving the abuse of expense accounts by MPs, which caused the party's popularity to decline.

David Cameron

A modern compassionate conservative, David Cameron stepped down due to political embarrassment and opposing views regarding the Brexit referendum.

• A vote of no confidence further pushed his decision to resign.

Theresa May

A Conservative leader, Theresa May was known for her pursuit of a "Hard Brexit."