Leader of the Conservative Party (UK)

Under the party's constitution, leaders are elected by serving MPs and party members whose membership started at least three months prior to the closing of a ballot. Candidates must be serving MPs. A former leader who has resigned may not stand in the contest triggered by their departure. Those who wish to stand must notify the 1922 Committee, a body representing backbench Conservative Party MPs, which has broad powers to set the rules of the leadership race (e.g. the minimum number of nominees candidates need). The party's practice is for MPs to eliminate candidates through multiple rounds of voting until two remain, from whom the winner is then chosen by a ballot of party members. The 1922 Committee's chairman acts as the returning officer for all stages of the leadership election process. ==Overall leaders of the party (1834–1922)==

==Leaders of the party (1922–present)==

==Houses of Lords and Commons leaders==

Leaders in the House of Lords (1834–present) Leaders in the House of Commons (1834–1922) Those asterisked were considered the overall leader of the party. • Sir Robert Peel: 18 December 18341846* • Lord George Bentinck: 1846–1847 • The Marquess of Granby: 9 February 1848 – 4 March 1848, elected at a party meeting • None: 1848–1849 • Jointly Benjamin Disraeli, the Marquess of Granby, and John Charles Herries: 1849–1852, elected at a party meeting • Benjamin Disraeli: 185221 August 1876 (overall leader from 27 February 1868) • Sir Stafford Northcote: 21 August 1876 – 24 June 1885, appointed by Prime Minister Beaconsfield • Sir Michael Hicks Beach: 24 June 1885 – 3 August 1886, appointed by Prime Minister Salisbury • Lord Randolph Churchill: 3 August 1886 – 14 January 1887, appointed by Prime Minister Salisbury • William Henry Smith: 17 January 1887 – 6 October 1891, appointed by Prime Minister Salisbury • Arthur Balfour: 189113 January 1906, appointed by Prime Minister Salisbury (overall leader from 1902) • Joseph Chamberlain: 1906 • Arthur Balfour: 190613 November 1911* • Bonar Law: 13 November 1911 – 21 March 1921, elected at a party meeting (overall leader from 1916) • Austen Chamberlain: 21 March 1921 – 23 October 1922, elected at a party meeting ==Elections of Conservative leaders by party meeting==

House of Commons House of Lords ==Deputy Leaders of the Conservative Party==

Deputy Leader of the Conservative Party is sometimes an official title of a senior Conservative politician of the United Kingdom. Some are given this title officially by the party, such as Peter Lilley, while others are given the title as an unofficial description by the media, such as William Hague. The first politician to hold the office as such was Reginald Maudling, appointed by Edward Heath in 1965. Distinct from being "second-in-command", there is formally no current position of deputy party leader in the party's hierarchy. The term has sometimes been mistakenly used to refer to the party's deputy chair. List of deputy leaders ==See also==