The Ideological Composition of the Parliamentary Conservative Party from Thatcher to May

Abstract

This chapter identifies how opinion within the parliamentary Conservative Party has evolved and changed from Thatcher to May. It considers each of the parliaments since 1987 and assesses the opinion of each Conservative parliamentarian in relation to the following three key ideological divides-first, the economy; second, the various European questions; and, third, social, sexual and moral matters. The chapter demonstrates that the ideological composition of the parliamentary Conservative Party has shifted in a Thatcherite direction in terms of opinion on the economy, but away from the social conservatism or traditionalist strand associated with Thatcherism.