UK Conservative Cabinet 1990-97

On November 28 1990, British Conservative Party leader and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher resigned after serving as Prime Minister for over 11 years. Her policies had promoted a free market economy, privatised industries and public services and introduced 'popular capitalism'. She had secured three consecutive victories for the Conservative Party in the 1979, 1983 and 1987 general elections, but was persuaded to stand down in 1990, following a leadership challenge.

The victor of the consequent Conservative Party leadership contest was Thatcher's Chancellor of the Exchequer, John Major. Major adopted a different Prime Ministerial style to that of Mrs. Thatcher, which was essentially far more collegial. Major was a great user of his cabinet team and encouraged discussion of government policy in order to gain opinions and feedback. Under Major, the cabinet had greater influence over the direction of policy than had been the case with previous Conservative administrations. This was a different approach from that of Mrs. Thatcher, who regularly started her cabinet meetings by announcing the government's policy and sometimes kept some issues away from the attention of her cabinet ministers. Since the Conservative government was elected in 1979, the Prime Minister had chosen to complete detailed policy work in cabinet committees or in bilateral meetings with the head of a department and limit her use of her cabinet team.

Having asserted himself upon his party and the country as Prime Minister, John Major called a general election in 1992, from which he secured a decisive victory. His win was also a record for the Conservative Party, as it was their fourth consecutive general election victory.

The senior members of Major's cabinet team and ministers who held the 'great offices of state' in the British political system, for the duration of his premiership, were the following;

Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury and Minister for the Civil Service:
John Major

Chancellor of the Exchequer and Second Lord of the Treasury:
Norman Lamont (1990-93), Kenneth Clarke (1993-97)

Deputy Prime Minister and First Secretary of State:
Michael Heseltine (1995-97)

Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs:
Douglas Hurd (1989-95), Malcolm Rifkind (1995-97)

Secretary of State for the Home Department:
Kenneth Baker (1990-92), Kenneth Clarke (1992-93), Michael Howard (1993-97)

On March 17 1997, approaching the five year limit on a UK parliament, Major went to Buckingham Palace to seek a dissolution from the Queen. He then scheduled a general election for May 1 and entered into a six week long election campaign.

At the time of the campaign, the economy was improving with inflation decreasing, taxes decreasing and employment increasing. The Conservative government being returned to power was feasible because their economic management in the later years of John Major's time as Prime Minister was acceptable, especially since they had rescued the economy after Britain's exit from the European Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM) on 'Black Wednesday', 16 September 1992.

Prime Minister Major's main rival was the leader of the Labour Party, Tony Blair. Blair had taken over as leader of the opposition in 1994 and had done much to modernise the Labour Party, since it lost office in 1979.

When the general election came on May 1, Labour won a large victory with 418 seats, leaving the Conservatives to form the official opposition with 165. The last time Labour had won a general election was in the October 1974 election.

On May 2 1997, John Major left 10 Downing Street and travelled to Buckingham Palace to tender his resignation as Prime Minister. The Queen accepted and invited Tony Blair to kiss hands as Britain's new premier. Blair consequently became the first Labour leader to enter Downing Street since James Callaghan in 1976. Blair was also the youngest Prime Minister since Lord Liverpool in 1812.

In June 1997, Major was replaced as Conservative leader by William Hague.

For more information, visit http://www.johnmajor.co.uk/