Instability, crisis, and statecraft in Conservative Britain, 2010–24

Dados Bibliográficos

ID6310641
AutoresRichard Hayton (0000-0002-9899-0035, University of Leeds, autor correspondente)
Ano2024
Volume77
Fascículo4
Páginas816-836
Data de publicação2024-10-11
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessSim
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoParliamentary Affairs (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 0031-2290 • E-ISSN: 1460-2482
EditoraOxford University Press (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1093/pa/gsae018
OpenAlexW4401727057
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas7
Referências citadas42

This article examines how the Conservative Party dominated British politics from 2010 to 2024 despite this period being one of instability and crisis. It argues that a key source of this turmoil was the Conservative Party itself, which under a succession of Prime Ministers struggled to formulate an effective statecraft strategy. While these leadership failings have been well documented the underlying difficulties run deeper, reflecting tensions for the self-proclaimed natural party of government in adapting its statecraft to the rise of populist and anti-politics pressures. The article exposes these through the lens of statecraft theory, which is applied to the largely overlooked constitutional dimension of Conservative statecraft. This reveals a persistent willingness to prioritize partisan statecraft strategy over adherence to constitutional norms, which portends a slide into populism now the party has returned to opposition

Conservative government · Opposition (politics · Political economy · Political instability · Political science · Politics · Populism · Prime minister · Sociology · Law · Political and Economic history of UK and US · Populism, Right-Wing Movements · Social Policy and Reform Studies