Conservative Prime Ministers

  • Profile: Boris Johnson

    Boris Johnson is a larger than life figure in UK politics. He’s occupied many political offices and has worked “behind the scenes” as it were in the journalism industry for a wide array of conservative titles.

    He began his employment at The Times in 1987 before moving to The Daily Telegraph as its reporter in Brussels to cover what was the European Commission at the time. He’s since written for and edited The Spectator, a leading conservative title in the UK.

    His television work made him a star in the UK and brought his characteristic wit and style of commentary to a wider audience. His appearances on the BBC show Have I Got News For You jettisoned a relatively new Johnson into the political stratosphere.

    In 2001 he found his first political success after winning the election for MP of Henley, a constituency in Oxfordshire. He’s since been elected Mayor of London twice, and MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip. He was appointed Foreign Secretary under Theresa May in 2016 and became Prime Minister in 2019.

    He is a writer at heart and his publications extend beyond his own life and times to works of a historical nature. In particular he’s written about London, Rome, and Brussels throughout his works.

    The key moments in his life centre on controversies. He’s the author of his own due to multiple failed marriages. He was also at the centre of the storm of the Brexit referendum in 2016, having campaigned for the Leave vote. Lastly, his Premiership was beset by the Covid pandemic and brought him intense criticism and scrutiny of his style of leadership.

  • Profile: Margaret Thatcher

    Margaret Thatcher began her political career in 1959 as an MP for Finchley in Barnet, London. It was twenty years later when she became Prime Minister aged 53 and served in two subsequent terms until 1990.

    In her lifetime she was lauded as the first female Prime Minister and yet her tenure took on a genderless tone as she battled foes at home and abroad.

    The key features of her time as Prime Minister included The Falklands War, the Poll Tax Riots, and miner’s strikes. These were startling times of uncertainty.

    In the politics of this era and later a notable characteristic is a high expectation that leads to a huge disappointment, and the UK went through many of these periods.

    Margaret Thatcher lead by her voice but in spite of her speeches found herself in the midst of serious disagreements with journalists and members of the public. Her press was often negative at the time and it weighed on her and broke her Premiership.

    In the event of her resignation in 1990 she felt bitter because she had to leave her party behind. Afterwards she said it felt like it was the end of a “relationship” with a party she had served for so long.

    Her mainstay was Denis Thatcher, her husband, who was a sort of companion and advisor to her personally.