Theresa May’s Premiership: Continuity or Change?
| DOI | 10.1177/2041905817702730 |
| Date | 01 April 2017 |
| Author | Ben Williams |
| Published date | 01 April 2017 |
10 POLITICAL INSIGHT • APRIL 2017
The Conservative Party has
undergone significant
‘modernisation’ over recent
years, particularly under David
Cameron’s leadership. The extent of ‘change’
has been questionable, with critics claiming
the indecisive 2010 General Election result
confirmed that the party had not been
revitalised sufficiently. However, the narrow
General Election victory of 2015 indicated
some degree of Conservative re-alignment
with mainstream British opinion following
multiple electoral defeats. Nevertheless,
levels of Conservative electoral support have
remained historically low, and following
Theresa May’s accession as Prime Minister
in mid-2016, it is worth assessing both the
party’s contemporary image, its popular
appeal, and whether the incoming Prime
Minister offers continuity or change
compared to previous Conservative
administrations.
Theresa May’s
Premiership:
Continuity or Change?
Theresa May promised a fresh approach to government but how
distinctive is she from her predecessors? Ben Williams analyses the
Prime Minister’s administration and finds some striking similarities –
and differences – with Conservative governments past.
Modernisation
Under the Cameron leadership (2005-16),
the Conservative Party made concerted
efforts to revise and rebrand its image and
identity. This ostensibly ‘modernising’ political
strategy derived from three successive
General Election defeats between 1997 and
2005, when the party’s national vote share
ranged between a meagre 30.7 per cent
and 32.4 per cent. Such sustained political
opposition contradicted the conventional
historical mantra that the Conservatives were
the ‘natural party of government’ (as it had
been for approximately two-thirds of the 20th
century) and specifically adept at governing
and ‘statecraft’. During David Cameron’s
tenure, the Tories’ level of support was
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