The Right Honourable David Cameron |
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Prime Minister of the United Kingdom | |
In office 11 May 2010 – 13 July 2016 |
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Monarch | Elizabeth II |
Deputy | Nick Clegg (2010–15) |
Preceded by | Gordon Brown |
Succeeded by | Theresa May |
Leader of the Opposition | |
In office 6 December 2005 – 11 May 2010 |
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Monarch | Elizabeth II |
Prime Minister |
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Preceded by | Michael Howard |
Succeeded by | Harriet Harman |
Leader of the Conservative Party | |
In office 6 December 2005 – 11 July 2016 |
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Preceded by | Michael Howard |
Succeeded by | Theresa May |
Shadow Secretary of State for Education and Skills | |
In office 6 May 2005 – 6 December 2005 |
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Leader | Michael Howard |
Shadowing | Ruth Kelly |
Preceded by | Tim Collins |
Succeeded by | David Willetts |
Conservative Policy Review Coordinator | |
In office 15 March 2004 – 6 May 2005 |
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Leader | Michael Howard |
Preceded by | David Willetts |
Succeeded by | Oliver Letwin (Review Chair) |
Member of Parliament for Witney |
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In office 7 June 2001 – 12 September 2016 |
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Preceded by | Shaun Woodward |
Succeeded by | Robert Courts |
Personal details | |
Born |
David William Donald Cameron 9 October 1966 Marylebone, London, England |
Political party | Conservative |
Spouse(s) | Samantha Sheffield (m. 1996) |
Children | 4 |
Parents |
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Alma mater | Brasenose College, Oxford |
Religion | Church of England |
Signature |
David William Donald Cameron (/ˈkæmrən, -mərən/; born 9 October 1966) is a British politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2016. He served as the Leader of the Conservative Party from 2005 to 2016 and was Member of Parliament for Witney from 2001 to 2016. Cameron identifies as a One-Nation Conservative, and has been associated with both economically liberal and socially liberal policies.
Born in London to wealthy upper middle-class parents, Cameron was educated at Heatherdown School, Eton College, and Brasenose College, Oxford. From 1988 to 1993 he worked at the Conservative Research Department, assisting the Conservative Prime Minister John Major, before leaving politics to work for Carlton Communications in 1994. Becoming an MP in 2001, he served in the opposition shadow cabinet under Conservative leader Michael Howard, succeeding Howard in 2005. Cameron sought to rebrand the Conservatives, embracing an increasingly socially liberal position. The 2010 general election led to Cameron becoming Prime Minister as the head of a coalition government with the Liberal Democrats. His premiership was marked by the ongoing effects of the late-2000s financial crisis; these involved a large deficit in government finances that his government sought to reduce through austerity measures. His administration introduced large-scale changes to welfare, immigration policy, education, and healthcare. It privatised the Royal Mail and some other state assets, and legalised same-sex marriage.