Second Major ministry
| Second Major ministry | |
|---|---|
| 89th ministry of the United Kingdom (since 1707) | |
| 1992–1997 | |
 |
|
| Date formed | 10 April 1992 |
| Date dissolved | 2 May 1997 |
| People and organisations | |
| Head of government | John Major |
| Deputy head of government | Michael Heseltine (1995–97) |
| Head of state | Queen Elizabeth II |
| Member party | Conservative Party |
| Status in legislature |
Majority (1992–96) Minority (1996–97) |
| Opposition cabinet | |
| Opposition party | Labour Party |
| Opposition leader |
|
| History | |
| Election(s) | 1992 general election |
| Outgoing election | 1997 general election |
| Predecessor | First Major ministry |
| Successor | First Blair ministry |
John Major formed the Second Major ministry following the 1992 general election.
The change of leader from Margaret Thatcher to John Major saw a dramatic turnaround in Tory support, with the double-digit lead in the opinion polls for the Labour Party being replaced by a narrow Conservative one by the turn of 1991. Although a general election did not have to be held until June 1992, Labour leader Neil Kinnock kept pressurising Major to hold an election during 1991, but Major resisted the calls and there was no election that year.
The recession which began in the autumn of 1990 deepened during 1991, with unemployment standing at nearly 2.5 million by December 1991, compared to 1.6 million just 18 months earlier. Despite this, Tory support in the opinion polls remained relatively strong, with any Labour lead now being by the narrowest of margins, although Labour still made some gains at the expense of the Tories in local elections, and seized the Monmouth seat from the Tories in a by-election.
Major finally called an election for 9 April 1992 which ended the first Major ministry. In a surprise to most pollsters, Major won the election, which led to the formation of the Second Major Ministry and a fourth consecutive Conservative term in office.
There was widespread media and public debate as to whether the Labour Party could ever win a general election again, as they had failed to do so in 1992, despite the Conservative government having been in power for over a decade and presiding over a recession for the second time. At the same time, there was much private debate (made public many years later in the memoirs of senior figures including John Major himself) within the Conservative government as to whether a fifth successive general election victory was a realistic possibility.
The new term of parliament saw Major gain a new opponent in John Smith, who succeeded Neil Kinnock as Labour leader.
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