David Cameron

• Born: October 9, 1966
• Place of Birth: London, United Kingdom

David Cameron served as the prime minister of the United Kingdom from May 2010 to July 2016. As prime minister, he was also the head of the UK's Conservative Party. Cameron, who was forty-three when he assumed office, became the youngest prime minister since Robert Banks Jenkinson, who became prime minister in 1812. In addition, Cameron took office as head of the first coalition government in the UK since 1945. In November 2023, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak appointed Cameron as foreign secretary of the UK.

Early Life & Education

David William Donald Cameron was born on October 9, 1966, in London. Cameron's father was a stockbroker and his mother was a justice of the peace. Cameron's family, which includes a brother and two sisters, comes from an aristocratic line of Scottish entrepreneurs who were very successful in agriculture and banking.

After finishing preparatory school, Cameron attended Eton College, a prestigious private school in the UK, where he studied art. He went on to attend Brasenose College, a constituent college of the University of Oxford, where he gained a reputation as an excellent student. In addition to playing tennis, Cameron took an interest in politics and student government. He graduated with honors in 1988.

Early Career

Following his graduation from Oxford, Cameron took a job with the United Kingdom's Conservative Party. He worked for the Conservative Research Department (CRD), the party's major think tank. Cameron was active in reorganizing the CRD, becoming head of the organization's political section. In this role, he served as a media aide to Prime Minister John Major. In 1992, he was named special advisor to Norman Lamont, the UK's Chancellor of the Exchequer, the British cabinet member who oversees all economic and financial matters. Cameron next took a position in the office of Home Secretary Michael Howard. In 1994, he left government for a position in the private sector, becoming director of corporate affairs at Carlton Communications, a British media company.

Career in Politics

In March 2000, Cameron lost a bid to become a member of parliament representing Wealden. However, he was selected by the Conservative Party as a candidate representing Witney in April 2000. This time, Cameron was successful, albeit by a small margin of victory. As a new member of parliament, Cameron served on the Home Affairs Select Committee.

In June 2003, Cameron was named vice-chairman of the Conservative Party. By 2005, the Labour Party had regained majority control of the UK government. As a result, Conservative Party leader Michael Howard stepped down. Cameron became party leader in December 2005. Cameron proved to be a somewhat controversial party leader. He was criticized as inexperienced, given his youth. In addition, he was seen by many in the party as abandoning traditional conservatism and being imprecise about his political philosophy.

2010 Election

Given that the United Kingdom's economy was significantly impacted by the global financial crisis of 2008-09, incumbent Prime Minister Gordon Brown and his Labour Party faced a tumultuous political climate in the lead-up to the 2010 general elections. When the election was concluded, the Conservative Party had its most successful election in eighteen years. However, in what is known as a "hung parliament," no clear majority of parliamentary seats was earned by any political party. Such a circumstance had not occurred in a UK general election since 1974.

Gordon Brown's Labour Party won 258 seats in the 2010 election, losing ninety-one seats and its parliamentary majority. Cameron's Conservative Party won 305 in total, gaining ninety-six new seats. The Liberal Democrat Party, led by Nick Clegg, won fifty-seven seats.

After several days of talks, Cameron was able to negotiate the formation of a coalition government with Clegg and the Liberal Democrat Party. On May 11, 2010, Brown resigned, and Cameron was appointed prime minister. Upon taking office, Cameron named Clegg as his deputy prime minister, establishing the first coalition government in the UK since World War II.

Prime Minister and Post-Premiership

Cameron has described his political philosophy as that of a "modern compassionate conservative." Although his critics have claimed that he relies on traditional power networks in government, he has publicly stated a desire to change the status quo of the United Kingdom's government.

As prime minister, Cameron hoped to oversee a decrease in employment taxes. He stressed the importance of initiating green energy initiatives, including the establishment of limits on carbon emissions to help stem global warming. Additionally, Cameron considered himself pro-life on the issue of abortion and opposes the death penalty. He also expressed the overturning of bans on fox hunting that were imposed by previous governments. During his tenure, he modernized the Conservative Party and opened twenty-four schools that were free to students and funded by the government.

Cameron won reelection in 2015. He subsequently set a date for a referendum on whether the UK should remain a member of the European Union, a move that became known as Brexit. The referendum was held on June 23, 2016, and resulted in approximately 52 percent of voters being in favor of leaving the EU. As a result of the vote, Cameron announced that he would be leaving his position by October 2016, stating that his advocacy to remain in the EU would hinder his ability to create an agreement to leave. He officially signed his resignation in July 2016.

In 2017, Cameron became the president of Alzheimer's Research UK.

In the United States, Cameron has shared his viewpoints and experiences on several American college campuses. In April 2022, Cameron spoke at Texas A&M University. He stated his support for Ukraine, which had been invaded by Russia several months previously. He termed the invasion as a carry-over event from the Cold War. In February 2023, in a speech given at Mississippi State University, Cameron reiterated England’s need for a strong bilateral relationship with the United States. He also voiced his support for democracy, which he stated required the ability for members of different political groups to work together. He also suggested the staying power of democracies, even though at times they seemed to be a discredited form of government.

Foreign Secretary

On November 13, 2023, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak appointed Cameron as foreign secretary. Cameron's appointment to the role arose as part of a second restructuring of Sunak's cabinet, in which he removed former home secretary Suella Braverman from her position and appointed James Cleverly, then foreign secretary, in her place. While the United Kingdom's government system theoretically does not require a minister to reside in either the House of Lords or House of Commons, it is customary that ministers belong to either the House of Lords or House of Commons in practice to remain liable to Parliament. Thus, in order for Cameron, who left his position as a Member of Parliament in 2016, to serve as foreign secretary, King Charles III granted him life peerage for him to sit in the House of Lords. Cameron entered the House of Lords as Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton on November 20, 2023.

The Russo-Ukrainian war and the war in Gaza marked much of Cameron's initial concerns as he took on the role of foreign secretary. As one of his first acts as foreign secretary, Cameron visited Ukraine and met with President Volodymyr Zelensky on November 16, 2023, to solidify the UK's diplomatic and military support for Ukraine amid the conflict. He remained a vocal advocate for the West's need to provide aid to Ukraine in the interest of promoting global security; for example, in early February 2024, Cameron voiced his support of the US Senate's decision to pass a national security supplemental package, which would include funding for Ukraine's defense, as well as for Israel and Taiwan. In late January and early February 2024, Cameron garnered widespread attention in the media after he indicated the UK's readiness to formally recognize Palestine as an independent state alongside Israel as part of a two-state solution to promote peace negotiations amid the conflict. He additionally urged for the suspension of the armed conflict in Gaza as well as the need for leaders of the militant group Hamas to exit the territory in order to reach an eventual permanent ceasefire.

Sunak and the Conservatives lost their majority in Parliament in July 2024, with Labour’s Keir Starmer taking over as prime minister. Cameron was replaced as foreign secretary with David Lammy.

Personal Life

Cameron and his wife, Samantha Gwendoline Sheffield, have two children, a daughter named Nancy and a son named Arthur. A third child, Ivan, had cerebral palsy and died in 2009. Cameron is an avid cyclist and a supporter of the Aston Villa Football Club.

Bibliography

Abuelgasim, Fay. "Top UK Diplomat Says Britain Could Recognize a Palestinian State before a Peace Deal with Israel." Associated Press, 1 Feb. 2024, apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-gaza-statehood-2093457b06f97499abd1891c4831379e. Accessed 7 Oct. 2024.

Campanella, Myranda, and Kyle McClenagan. "‘Democracy against Autocracy’: Former UK Prime Minister David Cameron Speaks at A&M on State of Current Affairs."The Battalion, 1 Apr. 2022, /www.thebatt.com/news/democracy-against-autocracy-former-uk-prime-minister-david-cameron-speaks-at-a-m-on-state/article‗6a9d8fd2-b22c-11ec-8d1b-2bee023a59fe.html. Accessed 7 Oct. 2024.

Gilchrist, Karen. "Former UK Prime Minister David Cameron Made Foreign Minister in Surprise Political Comeback." CNBC, 14 Nov. 2023, www.cnbc.com/2023/11/13/former-uk-prime-minister-david-cameron-made-foreign-minister-in-surprise-political-comeback.html. Accessed 7 Oct. 2024.

Matthews, Allison, and Harriet Laird. "Former UK Prime Minister David Cameron Featured in MSU Global Lecture Series." Mississippi State University, 7 Feb. 2023, www.msstate.edu/newsroom/article/2023/02/former-uk-prime-minister-david-cameron-featured-msu-global-lecture-series. Accessed 7 Oct. 2024.

"The Rt Hon Lord Cameron." Gov.uk, www.gov.uk/government/people/david-cameron. Accessed 7 Oct. 2024.