David Cameron was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom between 2010 and 2016, leading the first British coalition government in almost 70 years before, in 2015, forming the first majority Conservative government in over two decades.
Cameron came to power in 2010, during a period of economic crisis and with the country in an unprecedented fiscal position. Under his leadership, the British economy was transformed. The deficit was reduced by over two-thirds, a million companies got launched and there were records in terms of job creation, turning the United Kingdom into the advanced economy registering the fastest growth rate. This scenario brought about the stability that the government needed to cut taxes and introduce the national minimum wage, transforming education, reforming the social security system, protecting the National Health Service and raising pensions.
The difficult decisions then taken reflected in, as the economy grew, a fall in the number of households dependent on social welfare, a rise in the number of students attending university and the numbers in employment reaching the highest level at any point in time in British history.
At the international level, David Cameron advanced with foreign policies in a post-Iraq era that approached the new challenges of the Arab Spring, as well as a more aggressive Russia, while ensuring the United Kingdom played a significant role in the global struggle against ISIS. Under his leadership, the United Kingdom built up a strong partnership with India and became the preferred partner of China in the West. Throughout his time in office, he defended a close relationship between the United Kingdom and the United States.
After having successfully hosted the Olympic and Paralympic Games in London during 2012, David chaired the 2013 G8 Summit in Lough Erne, in Northern Ireland, where he highlighted the need for fair global taxes, greater transparency and commercial openness. In the wake of this summit and a global debate that lasted two years, led by a high level United Nations panel that he co-chaired, there was agreement over launching the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Cameron always defended environmental issues and strove to create the most ecological government ever – as such, the British economy was able to grow even while its carbon emissions fell sharply; he founded the world’s first Green Investment Bank and had the United Kingdom playing a driving leadership role in the Paris Agreement on climate change.
He led the way internationally in approving the British law allowing for same sex marriages, and changed the voting practices that had prevailed in the United Kingdom for a generation by staging three national referenda while the occupant of number 10 Downing Street; and two were particularly significant: the first on the place of Scotland in the United Kingdom; the second on the place of the United Kingdom in the European Union.
In winning the Scottish referendum in 2014, he guaranteed Scotland remained part of the United Kingdom. However, despite personally arguing that the United Kingdom was better off inside the European Union, in June 2016, a small majority of the British people voted in favour of leaving the EU.
Following this defeat, Cameron resigned as Prime Minister and leader of the Conservative Party on 13 July 2016. In September 2016, he resigned as a member of parliament.
David Cameron became leader of the Conservative Party in 2005, after having completed less than five years as an MP. He was elected on a mandate to reform and modernise a party that had lost three consecutive elections. It was out of his belief in modern conservatism that David ran for the leadership and also led him to form the first coalition government in the United Kingdom for seven decades and thereby taking office as Prime Minister.
During his leadership, he fostered justice and social actions; he deepened the ecological agenda; defined protecting the National Health Service as a priority for the United Kingdom and took due pride in significantly raising both the number of women and ethnic minority candidates running for office on behalf of the Conservative Party and the numbers reaching Parliament.
As MP for the rural constituency of Witney, in West Oxfordshire, since 2001, David occupied a series of positions on the opposition bench prior to become party leader. Following the general election of 2005, he was nominated Shadow Secretary of State for Education. He had previously held a series of political positions.
Furthermore, prior to becoming an MP, David worked for various companies and in public administrative positions.
After attending Eton, on the outskirts of London, Cameron studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Brasenose College of the University of Oxford.
After graduating, he joined the Research Department of the Conservative Party, where he worked for Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and her successor John Major. He was later nominated a Special Adviser to the Government, first in the Treasury and subsequently in the Home Office. Subsequently, he spent seven years at Carlton Communications, one of the leading media and public relations companies in the United Kingdom, where he sat on the Board of Directors.
Ever since leaving number 10 Downing Street, David continued to focus on the issues that were his priorities in office: supporting life opportunities for young people and building a stronger and fairer society; promoting medical research; and advocating for international development.
David Cameron is Chairman of the Patrons’ Board of the National Citizen Service (NCS), the leading youth development program in the United Kingdom. He is also President of Alzheimer’s Research UK, the leading British medical research institution with a particular focus on financing biomedical research on the causes, prevention and cure of dementia.
Within the scope of the role played as Prime Minister in defending the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations, he has worked with the London School of Economics and the Blavatnik School of Government at the University of Oxford.
He is also part of the Global Board of External Relations and is a Board Member of the ONE Campaign.
In addition to these functions, David Cameron advises and works with various international companies in the technology, financial and medical innovation sectors.
Born into an aristocratic family in London in October 1966, David Cameron is married and has three children.
His family was always the most important facet of his life, sustaining him in his long political career and while holding office as Prime Minister.
