ES1702's Wikibox & Graphics Thread

[ES1702]

2018 Conservative Party Leadership Election​

During the campaign for the 2015 general election, David Cameron announced that he would not seek a third term as Prime Minister. Despite speculation of a challenge to his leadership in the aftermath of the close result in the 2016 referendum on Britain's membership of the European Union, Cameron survived in his position after conducting a well-received reshuffle of his Cabinet and a popular Autumn Statement and Budget from Chancellor Sajid Javid in November 2016 and March 2017, respectively. Poor results in the local elections in May 2018, however, prompted renewed speculation that Cameron could be removed despite his wish to serve the full term before handing over to a successor at the scheduled 2020 general election. The Chairman of the 1922 Committee of Conservative MPs, Graham Brady, visited David Cameron in Downing Street on 28th June and, it was reported, asked him to advise the Executive of the 1922 of his roadmap towards a successor due to 'growing unrest' on the backbenchers. Over the weekend of 30th June-1st July it was reported that Number 10 was taking soundings from MPs about the levels of support for Cameron staying on for another 12-18 months.

On 3rd July 2018, Cameron announced his resignation as Leader of the Conservative Party in a statement in Downing Street and said that he would aim to stand down as Prime Minister before the start of the Conservative Party's conference at the end of September. On 6th July, the 1922 Committee set out the timetable and rules for the contest, with the winner of the final ballot of party members being announced on 1st September to allow the victor to take over as Prime Minister before Parliament returned from Summer recess.

A 24-hour window for nominations opened on 9th July during which seven candidates put themselves forward for the leadership of the Conservative Party:

Left-to-right:
Michael Gove, George Osborne, Sajid Javid, Boris Johnson, Theresa May, Jeremy Hunt, Andrea Leadsom
​

Prior to the 2016 referendum it was considered a near certainty that one of either George Osborne, Boris Johnson or Theresa May would succeed Cameron when he eventually stood down. However, the referendum, the reshuffle and following two-year period has seen multiple power bases emerge on the Conservative benches that led to fractured outcomes in the ballots of MPs, with no candidate being the first choice of more than a quarter of the Conservative Party's 329 MPs.

​

The emergence of Sajid Javid as the surprise front-runner at the end of the ballots of MPs signified to many the changing nature of the Conservative Party: no longer constrained by class or background or ethnicity, but still retaining its core politics with Javid a known eurosceptic (despite caving to pressure to back Remain in the referendum) and admirer of Margaret Thatcher. Pit against the popular Foreign Secretary Theresa May, the Conservative Party witnessed an intense, but ultimately friendly, battle of ideas over the summer of 2018 with 12 party-organised hustings and two television debates between the candidates seeing them presented to the country and membership. In opinion polls, the general public were shown to favour Javid by around 45-40 with a significant portion not knowing, while surveys for ConservativeHome of party members showed the race consistently neck-and-neck between the two candidates, who both promised to renew the Conservative Party, fire up the membership and win a third term in government. After six weeks of heavy campaigning, the result of the members' ballot was announced by Graham Brady at the QEII Centre in London on 1st September.

​

 

[ES1702]

The Government of Sajid Javid​

Sajid Javid became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom on Monday 3rd September, the 13th Prime Minister of Elizabeth II's reign and Britain's first BAME Prime Minister. After kissing hands with The Queen at Buckingham Palace and delivering his inaugural speech outside Number 10, Javid set to work on constructing a new government. While many members of David Cameron's post-referendum Cabinet were retained, they were shuffled about with Javid using the full might of his power to form the team he wanted at the start of his premiership. In the end, over a third of the Cabinet were removed either through being sacked, demoted or resigning. The most high profile departure was that of George Osborne, the First Secretary of State and Defence Secretary since 2016, who resigned. Javid's last remaining rival in the leadership election, Theresa May, was promoted to Deputy Prime Minister, with other responsibilities attached, while on the whole there was an increase in the number of women to almost two-fifths of the Cabinet and taking up three of the five main posts in government.

Full List of Cabinet Departures
George Osborne (Resigned)
Liam Fox (Sacked)
Greg Clark (Sacked)
Matthew Hancock (Demoted)
Liz Truss (Sacked)
Brandon Lewis (Sacked)
Chris Grayling (Sacked)
Andrea Leadsom (Sacked)
Priti Patel (Demoted)
Dominic Raab (Demoted)
Gavin Barwell (Sacked)
​

Javid's new government set out a fresh stall to the public to that offered by David Cameron, offering a "Modern Conservatism" that was focused on building a meritocratic society based on people's skills and abilities and a focus on where they want to go, not where they've come from. To help with this, the government set out plans to "level up" the United Kingdom, with a renewed focus on the 'Northern Powerhouse' and 'Midlands Engine' and new plans to increase direct Westminster investment into Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland to improve education, health, infrastructure and competitiveness both within the UK and the world. There was also to be 'renewed vigour' in presenting Britain abroad as a global power, while continually 'improving' the UK's relationship with the EU to make it work better for the country after the 2016 referendum.

Final Poll Under David Cameron (29th August 2018)​	First Poll Under Sajid Javid (5th September 2018)​
Voting Intention (GB% & UK Seats) Conservative: 36% (338) (+7)​ Labour: 32% (227) (-5)​ UKIP: 15% (3) (+2)​ Liberal Democrats: 7% (3) (-5)​ Greens: 5% (1) (+0)​ SNP: 5% (57) (+1)​ Others: 1% (21) (+0)​ Conservative Overall Majority of 26	Voting Intention (GB% & UK Seats) Conservative: 43% (393) (+62)​ Labour: 27% (182) (-50)​ UKIP: 14% (1) (+0)​ Greens: 6% (1) (+0)​ Liberal Democrats: 5% (1) (-7)​ SNP: 4% (51) (-5)​ Others: 1% (21) (+0)​ Conservative Overall Majority of 136
Preferred Prime Minister David Cameron: 37%​ Jeremy Corbyn: 25%​ Not Sure: 38%​	Preferred Prime Minister Sajid Javid: 48%​ Jeremy Corbyn: 21%​ Not Sure: 31%​

 

[ES1702]

2020 United Kingdom General Election​

The 2020 United Kingdom general election took place on Thursday 18 June 2020 to

elect 650 members to the House of Commons. It was the second general election at the end of a fixed-term Parliament, originally scheduled for 7 May 2020 but postponed for six weeks by statutory instrument to avoid clashing with the planned celebrations to mark the 75th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day on 8th May. Local elections scheduled for 7th May were also postponed to coincide with the general election as originally planned.

The Conservative Party, which had governed as a senior coalition partner from 2010 and as a single-party majority government from 2015, was defending a working majority of 13 against the Labour Party, led by Jeremy Corbyn. The Conservative Party was led by Sajid Javid, who became Prime Minister after the resignation of David Cameron in 2018 and was contesting his first general election as leader.

Opinion polls consistently showed strong leads for the Conservatives over Labour. Peaking at a 19-point lead, the Conservatives' lead decreased slightly but remained steady. The results of the election showed the Conservatives making net gains of 71 seats to bring their total to 402, the party's best performance since 1931 while their percentage of the vote increased to 40.7%, the strongest showing since 1992. Labour suffered net losses of 53 seats, falling to 179 and their worst performance since 1935. Labour's share of the vote fell to 25.2%, their worst performance since 1918. The Scottish National Party lost 17 seats to fall to 39, while the Liberal Democrats fell to fifth place behind the Democratic Unionist Party on just 6 seats, which was the worst showing for the main liberal party since 1970 and their diminished 5.6% of the vote was the worst showing since 1955. UKIP increased its share of the vote by over a point compared to 2015, but only retained its one seat.

Plaid Cymru gained on seat to give them a total of four seats. The Green Party retained its sole seat, while achieving their best ever share of the vote and winning over two million votes. In Northern Ireland, the DUP won 10 seats, Sinn Fein won 5, the SDLP won 2 and independent Lady Hermon retained her seat.

The campaign focused heavily on the economy, infrastructure, the NHS, antisemitism and foreign policy. The Conservatives pledged to "Unleash Britain's Potential" by giving everyone the opportunity to succeed, providing "world class" public services and building a "stronger and more cohesive" society. The Conservative manifesto, launched in Stoke-on-Trent, promised to deliver lower taxes, fiscal responsibility and growth. It set out plans for a £100 billion National Infrastructure Fund, a long-term investment plan for education, recruiting 20,000 new police officers, 50,000 more nurses in the NHS, a commitment to build both HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail, introduce more devolved combined authorities, increase funding for defence and maintain the foreign aid budget. After the budget in March 2020 but the basic rate of income tax to 18%, the Conservatives pledged to cut it further to 15%. The 2019 budget showed a surplus, of around £7 billion, for the first time well over a decade, Javid and the Conservatives said they would seek to retain a surplus but would invest in public services and cut taxes to the greatest extents possible.

The Labour Party focused on public spending, arguing that services were being underfunded after austerity, particularly education. Labour proposed to the creation of four new bank holidays, the building of 1 million new homes over five years and the recruitment of 10,000 new police officers. The party also ruled out increases in income tax, VAT and employee national insurance contributions for those earning under £80,000 a year. It pledged to ban junk food advertisements on television, scrap parking charges at NHS hospitals, invest in education, scrap tuition fees. increase corporation tax to 26% and reintroduce the 50% income tax rate for those earning £123,000 or more a year. It also set out plans in its manifest for an ambitious programme of renationalisation to bring the National Grid, Royal Mail, railways, water and the wider energy market under public control. It also planned for reform the broadband sector to provide free broadband to all households. Despite Jeremy Corbyn's personal opposition to nuclear weapons, the party committed to retaining the Trident nuclear deterrent and also said that it would ban weapons sales to Saudi Arabia.

The SNP called for a new referendum to be held on Scottish independence if the SNP won a mandate for one in the planned 2021 elections to the Scottish Parliament. They also pledged to work with other parties to form an "anti-austerity" coalition to remove the Conservatives from power in the event of a hung parliament. It also said it would push for a £10 minimum wage and over £110 billion in investment in UK public services. Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats said it would raise the basic rate of income tax to 21% to fund the NHS, would provide £7 billion to protect per pupil funding education and accept 50,000 refugees from Syria over the course of the next parliament. It also set out plans to extend paternity leave and legalise cannabis, as well as committing to the 2% of GDP target on defence spending. UKIP said it would levy no tax on the minimum wage up to £13,000 a year, raise the 40% income tax threshold to £55,000 and introduce a new 30% rate. It also pledged to scrap HS2, scrap inheritance tax, end unskilled immigration for five years, fund 25,000 more nurses, build 1 million new homes, scrap green taxes, cut aid spending and hold a second referendum on Britain's EU membership by 2025.

The Conservatives won a third term and an overall majority of 154 in the new Parliament, the largest for the party since 1935 and the largest for any government since 2001. The Conservatives also won 17 seats in Scotland, their best performance since 1983 and won the most seats in London for the first time since 1992. Labour's defeat led to Jeremy Corbyn announcing his intention to resign, triggering a leadership election. Tim Farron announced his resignation as leader of the Liberal Democrats, too. The poor performance of the SNP led to growing concerns that the party may fail to secure another term as the Scottish Government in 2021. Sajid Javid travelled to Buckingham Palace to visit The Queen on 19th June to form a new government and conducted a reshuffle of his Cabinet afterwards, which saw rivals sacked from their posts and allies rewarded.

​

 

[MonkberryMoonDelight]

As always, very well made. Who's Speaker here, and who's Father of the House?

 

[ES1702]

As always, very well made. Who's Speaker here, and who's Father of the House?

Dame Eleanor Laing would become Speaker after the election. Sir Peter Bottomley would become (as IOTL) the Father of the House.

 

[ES1702]

2019 European Parliament Elections (United Kingdom)​

The United Kingdom's component of the 2019 European Parliament election was

on Thursday 23 May 2019 and the results were announced on Sunday 26 May and Monday 27 May, after all other EU countries had voted.

The most successful party overall was the UK Independence Party (UKIP) which retained its 24 seats from the last election in 2014 and increased its share of the vote to 28.5%, the second time that a political party other than Labour or the Conservatives had won the popular vote at a British election in over a century.

For the second consecutive election, the Official Opposition failed to win the European Parliament election - the second time since 1984. Labour also suffered its second worst ever performance in a European Parliament, falling to 15 seats and 18% of the vote. The Green Party achieved its best ever result, winning 5 seats and over 11% of the vote. The Scottish National Party won the largest share of the vote in Scotland, taking 33% and 3 MEPs. The Liberal Democrats suffered their worst result since 1989, losing their only MEP and falling to 6% of the vote.

The United Kingdom's relationship with the European Union was the central issue of the campaign, following the narrow vote to remain inside the EU in the 2016 referendum. For some it was considered a proxy for a second referendum on the question, which UKIP was campaigning for, and Nigel Farage said the result represented a victory for euroscepticism and called on both Sajid Javid and Jeremy Corbyn to commit to holding a second referendum after the next general election.

In light of the results of the 2020 general election, the 2019 European Parliament election was considered a foreshadow of future events. The increase in support for the Conservatives and collapse in support for Labour mirrored the 2020 election results. So too did the increase in support for UKIP and the Greens, and the further diminishing in support for the Liberal Democrats.

 

[ES1702]

2020 Labour Party Leadership Election​

The 2020 Labour Party leadership election was triggered after Jeremy Corbyn announced his intention to

resign as Leader of the Labour Party following the party's defeat at the 2020 general election. It was won by Emily Thornberry who received 51.2% of the vote in the second round, to become the first female Leader of the Labour Party.

To qualify for the ballot, candidates needed nominations from 10% (20) of the party's Members of Parliament and Members of the European Parliament, followed by support from either 5% (33) of Constituency Labour Parties or from at least 3 affiliated groups, including two trade unions, and representing 5% of affiliated members. Four MPs put themselves forward for the ballot (Emily Thornberry, Hilary Benn, Angela Eagle and Rebecca Long Bailey) and all received sufficient nominations in both the first and second round of nominations to qualify. Benn had the most nominations from MPs and MEPs at 72, followed by Thornberry with 50, Eagle with 46 and Long Bailey with 26.

Candidates
Four candidates put themselves forward and qualified for the ballot:

• Emily Thornberry: Shadow Secretary of State for Defence (2016-2020)​
• Hilary Benn: Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign & Commonwealth Affairs (2015-2020)​
• Angela Eagle: Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Innovation & Skills (2015-2020)​
• Rebecca Long Bailey: Shadow First Secretary of State (2018-2020)​

Results
The result of the election, as well as the corresponding contest for deputy leader, was announced at 10:45am on 12 September 2020 at a special conference in London.

Emily Thornberry established a clear lead in the first round of voting and, after the elimination of Rebecca Long Bailey, won the election on the second round of voting.

​

 

[ES1702]

2018 United Kingdom General Election
The 2018 United Kingdom general election was held on Thursday, 13 September 2018, fifteen months after the previous general election in 2017, to elect 650 members to the British House of Commons. The Conservative Party, led by Prime Minister Theresa May, increased its number of seats to regain an overall majority.

The previous parliamentary term had begun in June 2017, when Theresa May lost the Conservative Party's overall majority and formed a confidence and supply agreement with the Democratic Unionist Party to secure a majority in the House of Commons. The lack of parliamentary majority and perceived lack of authority led to the May government losing several parliamentary votes relating to the British exit from the European Union. On 17 July 2018, the government lost a vote on an amendment (308-307) to the Trade Bill that mandated participation in a customs union with the EU if a free trade area could not be agreed. Conservative MPs were, according to media reports at the time, warned that defeat would cause a general election. On 18 July, the government tabled a vote of confidence in itself which it lost by four votes (317-313) after the DUP chose to abstain in protest at the recently published Chequers Plan for the future relationship between the United Kingdom and the European Union. A small number of europhile Conservative MPs did not support the government. The defeat led to May announcing on 19 July that the government would schedule a general election for September following the end of the fourteen day period under the Fixed Term Parliament Act 2011 where confidence in the existing government or a new government may be achieved. The fourteen day period elapsed on 1 August and Parliament was dissolved on 8 August.

Opinion polls showed a close race between the Conservatives and Labour, with both parties leading in several polls, however the Conservatives gained a small but steady lead in the final week of the campaign. The key issues in the campaign were the UK's withdrawal from the European Union; security and foreign policy, following the Russian nerve agent attack in Salisbury in March 2018; immigration, and treatment of the Windrush generation; climate change; the National Health Service; and, public ownership of industries and services following the crisis at Birmingham Prison.

The election resulted in a comfortable victory for the Conservative Party, winning an overall majority of 48 seats. The Conservatives made a net gain of 31 seats and won 38.5% of the vote. Many Conservative gains were made in long-held Labour seats that voted to leave the European Union. The Labour Party won 231 seats, its lowest number since 1983. The Scottish National Party made a net gain of 2 seats and won 3.7% of the UK vote (translating to 37% of the popular vote in Scotland), resulting in 37 out of 59 seats won in Scotland. The Liberal Democrats improved their vote share to 10% and made a net gain of one seat compared to 2017, resulting in 13 seats. Plaid Cymru lost three of its four seats, resulting in 1 seat for the party. The Green Party retained it's 1 seat. The DUP won half of the seats in Northern Ireland, where the SDLP and Alliance regained parliamentary representation as the DUP lost a seat and independent Sylvia Hermon retired.

The election result allowed May a mandate to ensure the UK's departure from the European Union as planned on 29 March 2019, with the House of Commons approving of her deal with the EU in December 2018 and ratifying it in early 2019. Labour's defeat led to Jeremy Corbyn announcing his intention to resign, triggering a leadership election. Liberal Democrat leader Vince Cable announced he would remain as leader until the UK had left the EU. SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon renewed calls for a second independence referendum, despite little improvement on the previous election result. Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood was defeated in the leadership election that was taking place throughout the campaign and left the role at the end of September 2018.

Theresa May visited the Queen at Balmoral Castle on 15 September during the traditional visit of the Prime Minister to the Queen during her summer break in Scotland. There, May was formally invited to form a new majority government. May addressed the nation on 18 September and set about reshuffling her Cabinet ahead of the assembling of the new Parliament and State Opening on 24 September.

 

[Rillium]

2018 United Kingdom General Election
The 2018 United Kingdom general election was held on Thursday, 13 September 2018, fifteen months after the previous general election in 2017, to elect 650 members to the British House of Commons. The Conservative Party, led by Prime Minister Theresa May, increased its number of seats to regain an overall majority.

The previous parliamentary term had begun in June 2017, when Theresa May lost the Conservative Party's overall majority and formed a confidence and supply agreement with the Democratic Unionist Party to secure a majority in the House of Commons. The lack of parliamentary majority and perceived lack of authority led to the May government losing several parliamentary votes relating to the British exit from the European Union. On 17 July 2018, the government lost a vote on an amendment (308-307) to the Trade Bill that mandated participation in a customs union with the EU if a free trade area could not be agreed. Conservative MPs were, according to media reports at the time, warned that defeat would cause a general election. On 18 July, the government tabled a vote of confidence in itself which it lost by four votes (317-313) after the DUP chose to abstain in protest at the recently published Chequers Plan for the future relationship between the United Kingdom and the European Union. A small number of europhile Conservative MPs did not support the government. The defeat led to May announcing on 19 July that the government would schedule a general election for September following the end of the fourteen day period under the Fixed Term Parliament Act 2011 where confidence in the existing government or a new government may be achieved. The fourteen day period elapsed on 1 August and Parliament was dissolved on 8 August.

Opinion polls showed a close race between the Conservatives and Labour, with both parties leading in several polls, however the Conservatives gained a small but steady lead in the final week of the campaign. The key issues in the campaign were the UK's withdrawal from the European Union; security and foreign policy, following the Russian nerve agent attack in Salisbury in March 2018; immigration, and treatment of the Windrush generation; climate change; the National Health Service; and, public ownership of industries and services following the crisis at Birmingham Prison.

The election resulted in a comfortable victory for the Conservative Party, winning an overall majority of 48 seats. The Conservatives made a net gain of 31 seats and won 38.5% of the vote. Many Conservative gains were made in long-held Labour seats that voted to leave the European Union. The Labour Party won 231 seats, its lowest number since 1983. The Scottish National Party made a net gain of 2 seats and won 3.7% of the UK vote (translating to 37% of the popular vote in Scotland), resulting in 37 out of 59 seats won in Scotland. The Liberal Democrats improved their vote share to 10% and made a net gain of one seat compared to 2017, resulting in 13 seats. Plaid Cymru lost three of its four seats, resulting in 1 seat for the party. The Green Party retained it's 1 seat. The DUP won half of the seats in Northern Ireland, where the SDLP and Alliance regained parliamentary representation as the DUP lost a seat and independent Sylvia Hermon retired.

The election result allowed May a mandate to ensure the UK's departure from the European Union as planned on 29 March 2019, with the House of Commons approving of her deal with the EU in December 2018 and ratifying it in early 2019. Labour's defeat led to Jeremy Corbyn announcing his intention to resign, triggering a leadership election. Liberal Democrat leader Vince Cable announced he would remain as leader until the UK had left the EU. SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon renewed calls for a second independence referendum, despite little improvement on the previous election result. Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood was defeated in the leadership election that was taking place throughout the campaign and left the role at the end of September 2018.

Theresa May visited the Queen at Balmoral Castle on 15 September during the traditional visit of the Prime Minister to the Queen during her summer break in Scotland. There, May was formally invited to form a new majority government. May addressed the nation on 18 September and set about reshuffling her Cabinet ahead of the assembling of the new Parliament and State Opening on 24 September.

What is the current political situation in the UK? Who are the current party leaders?

Also great scenario!

 

[ES1702]

What is the current political situation in the UK? Who are the current party leaders?

Also great scenario!

Current leaders are:
- CON: Theresa May
- LAB: Emily Thornberry
- LDM: Jo Swinson
- SNP: Nicola Sturgeon

Current political situation...Theresa May has concluded future relationship talks with the EU after over a year of talks since Brexit in March 2019. As loose a relationship is possible under the terms of the Withdrawal Agreement and Political Declaration has been struck and is expected to pass the Commons. The Government's handling of coronavirus has come under intense scrutiny, but is largely approved of. Chancellor Michael Gove has delivered his third budget. The Conservatives are averaging 44% in the polls, to Labour's 32%, the Lib Dems' 12%. In Scotland, polling continues to show a solid majority against independence, Nicola Sturgeon faces high pressure on all sides over the Alex Salmond inquiry and the SNP are polling well below what they'd need to secure a Holyrood majority in 2021. In Wales, the Conservatives are on course to be in a position to prevent Labour from forming another government.

 

[ES1702]

2024 General Election
Sky News

Conservative Leader: Boris Johnson
Labour Leader: Sir Keir Starmer
Liberal Democrat Leader: Sir Edward Davey
Scottish National Leader: Nicola Sturgeon
Reform UK Leader: Nigel Farage
Green Party Leader: Sian Berry

Notable Figures:
- Labour wins 14,463,456, a new record high for number of votes for any one party
- Conservative to Labour swing of 11.55%, a new record high in post-1945 politics

 

[Major Crimson]

2024 General Election
Sky News

Conservative Leader: Boris Johnson
Labour Leader: Sir Keir Starmer
Liberal Democrat Leader: Sir Edward Davey
Scottish National Leader: Nicola Sturgeon
Reform UK Leader: Nigel Farage
Green Party Leader: Sian Berry

Notable Figures:
- Labour wins 14,463,456, a new record high for number of votes for any one party
- Conservative to Labour swing of 11.55%, a new record high in post-1945 politics

View attachment 603981
View attachment 604061

 

[ES1702]

Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom

THERESA MAY: 13th July 2016 - 29th June 2017
- 2016 Conservative Party Leadership Election (def. Andrea Leadsom, Michael Gove, Stephen Crabb and Liam Fox)
- June 2017 General Election (Hung Parliament: CON 315, LAB 263, SNP 36, LDM 13, PLC 4, GRN 1, OTH 18)
DAMIAN GREEN: 29th June 2017 - 26th July 2017
DAVID DAVIS: 26th July 2017 - 8 December 2021
- 2017 Conservative Party Leadership Election (def. Boris Johnson, Amber Rudd, Philip Hammond, Andrea Leadsom)
- September 2017 General Election (Overall Majority: CON 329, LAB 260, SNP 33, LDM 8, GRN 1, PLC 1, OTH 18)
DOMINIC RAAB: 8th December 2021 - 6th May 2022
- 2021 Conservative Party Leadership Election (def. Penny Mordaunt, Sajid Javid, James Cleverly, Esther McVey)
JEREMY CORBYN: 6th May 2022 - 26th June 2024
- 2022 General Election (Hung Parliament: LAB 298, CON 281, SNP 34, LDM 15, PLC 3, GRN 1, OTH 18)

Twelve Weeks in Summer - Timeline of Britain's Turbulent Summer

• 8 June 2017 - The General Election produces a Hung Parliament with the Conservatives on 315 seats and Labour on 263
• 9 June 2017 - Theresa May returns to Downing Street saying she will form a minority government with support from the DUP
• 11 June 2017 - Theresa May conducts a Cabinet reshuffle, including appointing Damian Green as First Secretary of State
• 20 June 2017 - The DUP collapses talks with the Conservative Party, saying the party remains open to an agreement in the future when better terms are available and that they will abstain on Queen's Speech vote
• 21 June 2017 - The State Opening of Parliament takes place with the Queen's Speech outlining the Government's agenda for the session ahead
• 29 June 2017
  • 17:47 - The House of Commons votes down the Queen's Speech 313-312, Labour tables a motion of no confidence in the Government
  • 19:00 - Theresa May addresses the nation from Downing Street and announces her immediate resignation as Prime Minister and Conservative Party leader, saying she will advise the Queen to invite the First Secretary of State to form a new government while a new party leader is elected
  • 19:44 - Theresa May officially tenders her resignation as Prime Minister
  • 20:20 - Damian Green is appointed Prime Minister by the Queen
  • 20:34 - Damian Green delivers his first speech as Prime Minister, declaring that he will not seek the Tory leadership and will resign on 26th July after a new leader is elected, commits to continuing Brexit negotiations and stabilising the country and the economy for the month ahead
• 30 June 2017 - The Government wins the vote of no confidence 322-313 after the DUP decides to vote with the Government in order to avoid an immediate election or change of government - waiting to see who the new Conservative Party leader and Prime Minister will be
• 3 July 2017 - David Davis wins the first and second ballots of the Conservative leadership election with 35.7% and 53.2% of votes among MPs. Davis and Boris Johnson proceed to the vote among the party membership after Andrea Leadsom, Philip Hammond and Amber Rudd were knocked out or withdrew
• 25 July 2017 - David Davis is announced as the winner of the Conservative Party leadership election with 55.3% of votes to Boris Johnson's 44.7%
• 26 July 2017 - Damian Green resigns as Prime Minister and is succeeded by David Davis who announces a General Election for 7th September
• 27 July 2017 - The House of Commons votes 561-74 for an election, 63 Conservative rebels join the DUP and Sylvia Hermon in voting against
• 1 August 2017 - Parliament is dissolved for the General Election
• 7 September 2017 - The General Election results in a Conservative Overall Majority of 8 with 329 seats, with Labour falling to 260. However, the Conservatives fall to 38.6% of the UK vote, while Labour wins the popular vote increasing their share to 40.7%. Turnout falls to 65.8%. Despite losing a second election, Jeremy Corbyn declares his intention to stay on as Labour leader saying that Labour will commit itself to reforming the "rigged" system that delivers a Conservative majority government while Labour win the most votes

 

[ES1702]

 

[ES1702]

The Blair Years
Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair may not have had the most typical of elevations to the top level of British politics, but it is indisputable that he has been the most successful political leader in the United Kingdom, and indeed the Western world, since at least the end of the Second World War. After Margaret Thatcher left office in 1990 few believed it was possible for one figure to be such a dominant force in their own party and the national political arena ever again. Indeed, it is not only in terms of influence that Blair resembled Thatcher, the Iron Lady herself declared Blair as her natural heir some way into his time as Prime Minister - continuing the work she had begun in 1979 to break the post-war consensus and provide new emphasis on free market policies.

Tony Blair's almost complete domination of British politics traced its roots to 1992 and Black Wednesday. When Britain crashed out of the European Exchange Rate Mechanism, the Conservative Party's reputation for economic competency and management was destroyed. That propelled Labour to extraordinary leads in opinion polls, but the sudden death of John Smith in 1994 saw the still relatively little-known Tony Blair elected as his successor. His new brand of centrism, combined with fiscal responsibility and constitutional reform, while embracing popular market economics and social justice over equality saw his personal popularity soar (to become the most popular Leader of the Opposition since records began) and Labour skyrocket to unimaginable heights in the opinion polls.

The 1997 general election result, to this day, remains almost beyond belief. Never before has one political party alone so dominated the House of Commons - and rarely has it ever occurred in another mature and free democracy like the United Kingdom. For the first time in 66 years, an absolute majority of votes cast was won by one party, and the record for the number of votes cast for a party in a general election was broken by a huge amount.

Labour's enormous victory with 58.3% of the vote and 604 seats was so large and the opposition so crushed (the Conservatives were almost extinguished, reduced to a rump of just 21 seats but still enough to become the Official Opposition) that Blair himself felt the need to reassure the nation that he would use his power responsibly. After all, he was placed in a position where he could do anything he wanted and implement any policy he desired for the next five years at least. Many believed, and were proven right, that the scale of Labour's victory would keep them in power for well beyond five years.

That victory in 1997 and the incredible endorsement that came from it gave Tony Blair the mandate to mould 21st Century Britain in his image, and the image of New Labour. For many millions of young people in Britain today, there has never been anyone other than Tony Blair as Prime Minister. Despite scandals and controversies, his constant graft and dogged determination to reform society and the economy has made him one of the most respected men not just in these islands but across the whole world. The story of the Blair Years is one of triumph and tragedy, longevity and lives cut too short, of success and failure, of praise and controversy. The whole story hasn't been told, until now.

​

 

[CTTeller]

The Blair Years
Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair may not have had the most typical of elevations to the top level of British politics, but it is indisputable that he has been the most successful political leader in the United Kingdom, and indeed the Western world, since at least the end of the Second World War. After Margaret Thatcher left office in 1990 few believed it was possible for one figure to be such a dominant force in their own party and the national political arena ever again. Indeed, it is not only in terms of influence that Blair resembled Thatcher, the Iron Lady herself declared Blair as her natural heir some way into his time as Prime Minister - continuing the work she had begun in 1979 to break the post-war consensus and provide new emphasis on free market policies.

Tony Blair's almost complete domination of British politics traced its roots to 1992 and Black Wednesday. When Britain crashed out of the European Exchange Rate Mechanism, the Conservative Party's reputation for economic competency and management was destroyed. That propelled Labour to extraordinary leads in opinion polls, but the sudden death of John Smith in 1994 saw the still relatively little-known Tony Blair elected as his successor. His new brand of centrism, combined with fiscal responsibility and constitutional reform, while embracing popular market economics and social justice over equality saw his personal popularity soar (to become the most popular Leader of the Opposition since records began) and Labour skyrocket to unimaginable heights in the opinion polls.

The 1997 general election result, to this day, remains almost beyond belief. Never before has one political party alone so dominated the House of Commons - and rarely has it ever occurred in another mature and free democracy like the United Kingdom. For the first time in 66 years, an absolute majority of votes cast was won by one party, and the record for the number of votes cast for a party in a general election was broken by a huge amount.

Labour's enormous victory with 58.3% of the vote and 604 seats was so large and the opposition so crushed (the Conservatives were almost extinguished, reduced to a rump of just 21 seats but still enough to become the Official Opposition) that Blair himself felt the need to reassure the nation that he would use his power responsibly. After all, he was placed in a position where he could do anything he wanted and implement any policy he desired for the next five years at least. Many believed, and were proven right, that the scale of Labour's victory would keep them in power for well beyond five years.

That victory in 1997 and the incredible endorsement that came from it gave Tony Blair the mandate to mould 21st Century Britain in his image, and the image of New Labour. For many millions of young people in Britain today, there has never been anyone other than Tony Blair as Prime Minister. Despite scandals and controversies, his constant graft and dogged determination to reform society and the economy has made him one of the most respected men not just in these islands but across the whole world. The story of the Blair Years is one of triumph and tragedy, longevity and lives cut too short, of success and failure, of praise and controversy. The whole story hasn't been told, until now.

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Oh my god.

 

[Nazi Space Spy]

Oh my god.

That was literally my exact same reaction. Can't wait for the next update!

 

[aaa]

Dear lord.

 

[Rillium]

Good heavens.

 

[ES1702]

The Blair Years
The ashen-faced look on Sir Edward Heath's face as his near-16,000 vote majority was overturned to become a near-6,000 vote Labour majority in Old Bexley and Sidcup, bringing an end to the former Prime Minister's 47-year long tenure as an MP and 5-year period as Father of the House, just about summed up the mood of the Conservative Party on election night in 1997. Hundreds of Tories, whether they were relative newbies or respected former Prime Ministers, could not hold back the Labour tidal wave that swept across the electoral map of Great Britain on 1st May and the party was crippled to unimaginably low numbers. Apart from the seats of William Hague, Norman Fowler and John Major, the Conservatives were now a party of the South East of England. The 11 Liberal Democrats, 3 Scottish Nationalists and 2 Welsh nationalists were the only others to hold out against Labour's sweep. Northern Ireland's unique party system boosted the opposition's numbers to 55 in the new Parliament.

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Tony Blair's jubilant arrival in Downing Street on 2nd May was immediately followed by the first significant task of governing - forming a Cabinet. The Shadow Cabinet was transferred almost exactly into the Cabinet, with key appointments being made such as John Prescott as Deputy Prime Minister, Gordon Brown as Chancellor of the Exchequer, Robin Cook as Foreign Secretary and Jack Straw as Home Secretary. The new government set to work with a swift pace, Gordon Brown unexpectedly announcing on 6th May that the Bank of England would be given operational independence over monetary policy and Blair himself introducing the Bill to hold the referenda on devolution in Scotland and Wales in September 1997. Just over a month after entering office, the Labour government had the United Kingdom sign up to the Social Chapter of the Maastricht Treaty that had contributed to the previous Tory government enduring almighty internal rows that helped seal its destruction in the election.

While the Blair government set to work, what remained of the Conservative Party set about electing a successor to John Major to take on the unenviable task of Leader of the Opposition to a totally dominant government. With Major out of the running for obvious reasons, there just 20 possible contenders and only two stepped forward. With the State Opening of Parliament out of the way on 14th May, William Hague (the Wales Secretary in Major's government) and Virginia Bottomley (the National Heritage Secretary in Major's government) announced their candidacies for the leadership. The rump of 21 MPs voted on 22nd May for their new leader and, in a result that was both a surprise and unsurprising, Virginia Bottomley won out to become the second female leader of her party thanks to John Major's casting vote. Major, as the former leader, had sought to keep his vote private, but the public declarations of his 20 colleagues - splitting evenly between the two candidates - unmasked Major as the man who had made Bottomley his successor.

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Bottomley had only 20 other MPs from, and was determined to leave at least a small number of MPs on the backbenches out of the Shadow Cabinet to ensure her leadership could be held to account. Bringing in a handful of Peers and a giving a couple of members multiple portfolios, Bottomley unveiled her Shadow Cabinet on 24th May...

Leader of the Opposition Leader of the Conservative Party​	Virginia Bottomley MP
Shadow Deputy Prime Minister Shadow Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions Shadow Minister for the Cabinet Office Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster	Norman Fowler MP
Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer	Nicholas Soames MP
Shadow Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain Shadow Attorney General of England and Wales	Nick Hawkins MP
Shadow Leader of the House of Commons	Julian Lewis MP
Shadow Leader of the House of Lords Chairman of the Conservative Party	The Lord Baker of Dorking
Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury	Philip Hammond MP
Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign & Commonwealth Affairs	John Major MP
Shadow Secretary of State for the Home Department	William Hague MP
Shadow Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food	Richard Ottaway MP
Shadow Secretary of State for Health	Francis Maude MP
Shadow Secretary of State for Defence	Richard Benyon MP
Shadow Secretary of State for Social Security	Peter Ainsworth MP
Shadow Secretary of State for Education and Employment	Cheryl Gillan MP
Shadow Secretary of State for Trade and Industry	Ian Taylor MP
Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport	The Lord Ryder of Wensum
Shadow Secretary of State for International Development	Dominic Grieve MP
Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland Shadow Secretary of State for Wales	Michael Mates MP
Opposition Chief Whip	Paul Beresford MP
Opposition Chief Whip in the House of Lords	The Lord Strathclyde

The four MPs that Bottomley had left on the backbenches were balanced 50-50 between those who had supported her in the leadership election and those who had supported William Hague. The 'loyalist' backbenchers were Geoffrey Johnson Smith and Charles Wardle, and the others were Desmond Swayne and Christopher Chope.