List of past leaders of the conservative, labour and liberal democrat parties

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British Political Party Leaders of the Past

There are 3 main political parties in Great Britain, the conservatives, labour and liberal democrats. Listed below are the past leaders of these political parties. Leaders who were in power are marked with PM (which means Prime Minister) along with the years during which they were prime minister.

Past Leaders of the Labour Party

The labour party was founded in 1900. In the table below all the past labour party leaders since 1906 are listed in chronological order.

Labour Party Leader Dates of
Leadership
Comment
Tony Blair1994-presentPM 97-present
John Smith1992-1994Died as leader
Neil Kinnock1983-1992 
Michael Foot1980-1983 
James Callaghan 1976-1980PM 76-79
Harold Wilson 1963-1976PM 64-70 & 74-76
Hugh Gaitskell 1955-1963Died as Leader
Clement Attlee1935-1955PM 45-51
George Lansbury 1932-1935 
Arthur Henderson 1931-1932 
Ramsay MacDonald 1922-1931PM 1924 & 29-35
John Robert Clynes1921-1922 
William Adamson 1917-1921 
Arthur Henderson 1914-1917 
Ramsay MacDonald 1911-1914 
George Nicoll Barnes 1910-1911 
Arthur Henderson1908-1910 
Keir Hardie1906-1908 

Past Leaders of the Conservative Party

The conservative party is a descendent of the Tory party formed around 1688. The party was renamed in 1830 as the conservative party. Up until 1922 there was no official leader of the conservative party, both the leader of the house of commons and the leader of the house of lords were considered equal leaders. But some were more equal than others.

Conservative Party Leader Dates of
Leadership
Comment
David Cameron2005 - present 
Michael Howard2003 - 2005 
Iain Duncan Smith2001 - 2003 
William Hague 1997 - 2001 
John Major 1990 - 1997PM 90-97
Margaret Thatcher 1975 - 1990PM 79-90
Edward Heath 1965 - 1975PM 70-74
Sir Alec Douglas-Home 1963 - 1965PM 63-64
Harold Macmillan 1957 - 1963PM 57-63
Sir Anthony Eden 1955 - 1957PM 55-57
Sir Winston Churchill 1940 - 1955PM 40-45 & 51-55
Neville Chamberlain 1937 - 1940PM 37-40
Stanley Baldwin 1923 - 1937PM 1923 & 24-29 & 35-37
Andrew Bonar Law 1922 - 1923PM 22-23

The Leaders of the Liberal Democrats

The Liberal Democrats is a recently formed party (founded in 1988) but has roots in the earlier Liberal party which was a successful political force in the 19th century. Below the past leaders of the Lib Dems are listed until 1988, prior to that, past leaders of the Liberal party are listed.

Liberal Democrat Party Leader Dates of
Leadership
Sir Menzies Campbell 2006-present
Charles Kennedy 1999-2006
Paddy Ashdown 1988-1999
David Steel and Robert Maclennan 1988 (interim)
Below are listed the leaders of the liberal party
(prior to the formation of the Lib Dems)
David Steel1976-1988
Jo Grimond 1976
Jeremy Thorpe 1967-1976
Jo Grimond 1956-1967
Clement Davies 1945-1956
Sir Archibald Sinclair 1935-1945
Sir Herbert Samuel 1931-1935
David Lloyd George 1926-1931
Donald Maclean, Acting Leader 1919-1922
Herbert Henry Asquith, 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith (1925)1916-1926
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