Cameron resigned his seat on 12 September 2016, and maintained a low political profile. He has served as the president ofAlzheimer's Research UK from 2017 to 2023, and returned in 2025; and was implicated in theGreensill scandal. Cameron released his memoir,For the Record, in 2019. In 2023 he was appointed foreign secretary byRishi Sunak and became alife peer as Baron Cameron of Chipping Norton. After the Conservatives lost the2024 general election to theLabour Party, Cameron retired as foreign secretary. However, he maintains hisHouse of Lords seat.
Cameron was credited for helping to modernise the Conservative Party, and for reducing the UK's national deficit. However, he was subject to criticism for austerity measures, as well as his decision to hold a referendum on Britain's membership of the EU, which led to political instability in the UK during the late2010s.[1][2][3] Inhistorical rankings of prime ministers of the United Kingdom, academics and journalists have ranked him in the fourth and third quintiles.
Cameron's father was born atBlairmore House nearHuntly, Aberdeenshire, and died nearToulon, France, on 8 September 2010;[8] Blairmore was built by Cameron's great-great-grandfather, Alexander Geddes,[9][10] who had made a fortune in thegrain trade in Chicago, United States, before returning to Scotland in the 1880s.[11] Blairmore was sold soon after Ian's birth.[10]
Cameron has said: "On my mother's side of the family, her mother was a Llewellyn, soWelsh. I'm a real mixture ofScottish, Welsh and English."[12] He has also referenced theGerman Jewish ancestry of one of his great-grandfathers, Arthur Levita, a descendant of theYiddish authorElia Levita.[13][14]
Education
Cameron was educated at twoprivate schools. From the age of seven, he was taught atHeatherdown School inWinkfield,Berkshire. Owing to good grades, he entered its top academic class almost two years early.[15] At the age of 13, he went on toEton College in Berkshire, following his father and elder brother.[16] His early interest was in art. Six weeks before taking hisO-levels, he was caught smokingcannabis.[17] He admitted the offence and had not been involved in selling drugs, so he was not expelled; instead he was fined, prevented from leaving the school grounds and given a "Georgic" (a punishment that involved copying 500 lines ofLatin text).[18]
After leaving Eton in 1984[21] Cameron started a nine-monthgap year. For three months, he worked as a researcher for his godfatherTim Rathbone, then Conservative MP forLewes, during which time he attended debates in theHouse of Commons.[22] Through his father, he was then employed for a further three months in Hong Kong byJardine Matheson as a 'ship jumper', an administrative post.[23]
Returning from Hong Kong, Cameron visited the then-Soviet Union, where he was approached by two Russian men speaking fluent English. He was later told by one of his professors that it was "definitely an attempt" by theKGB to recruit him.[24]
Guy Spier, who shared tutorials with Cameron, remembers him as an outstanding student: "We were doing our best to grasp basic economic concepts. David—there was nobody else who came even close. He would be integrating them with the way the British political system is put together. He could have lectured me on it, and I would have sat there and taken notes."[27] When commenting in 2006 on his former pupil's ideas about a "Bill of Rights" to replace theHuman Rights Act, however, Bogdanor, himself aLiberal Democrat, said: "I think he is very confused. I've read his speech and it's filled with contradictions. There are one or two good things in it but one glimpses them, as it were, through a mist of misunderstanding".[28]
While at Oxford, Cameron was a member of theBullingdon Club, an exclusive all-male dining society with a reputation for an outlandish drinking culture associated with boisterous behaviour and damaging property.[29] In his 2019 memoirFor the Record, Cameron wrote about being a member of the Bullingdon and its impact on his political career, saying: "When I look now at themuch-reproduced photograph taken of our group of appallingly over-self-confident 'sons of privilege', I cringe. If I had known at the time the grief I would get for that picture, of course I would never have joined. But life isn't like that..." and: "These were also the years after the ITV adaptation ofBrideshead Revisited when quite a few of us were carried away by the fantasy of anEvelyn Waugh-like Oxford existence."[30] Cameron's period in the Bullingdon Club was examined in a 2009Channel 4 docudrama,When Boris Met Dave, the title referring toBoris Johnson, another high-profile Conservative Party figure, the then-mayor of London, who had been a member at the same time, and who would go on to be prime minister himself.
Cameron graduated in 1988 with afirst-class BA degree (later promoted to anMA by seniority).[31]
Early political career
Conservative Research Department
After graduation, Cameron worked for theConservative Research Department between September 1988 and 1993. His first brief was Trade and Industry, Energy and Privatisation; he befriended fellow young colleagues, includingEdward Llewellyn,Ed Vaizey andRachel Whetstone. They and others formed a group they called the "Smith Square set", which was dubbed the "Brat Pack" by the press, though it is better known as the "Notting Hill set", a name given to it pejoratively byDerek Conway.[32] In 1991 Cameron was seconded toDowning Street to work on briefingJohn Major for the then twice-weekly sessions ofPrime Minister's Questions. One newspaper gave Cameron the credit for "sharper ...Despatch box performances" by Major,[33] which included highlighting for Major "a dreadful piece ofdoublespeak" byTony Blair (then theLabour Employment spokesman) over the effect of a nationalminimum wage.[34] He became head of the political section of the Conservative Research Department, and in August 1991 was tipped to followJudith Chaplin as political secretary to the prime minister.[35]
Cameron lost toJonathan Hill, who was appointed in March 1992. Instead, he was given the responsibility for briefing Major for his press conferences during the1992 general election.[36] During the campaign, Cameron was one of the young "brat pack" of party strategists who worked between 12 and 20 hours a day, sleeping in the house ofAlan Duncan inGayfere Street,Westminster, which had been Major's campaign headquarters during his bid for the Conservative leadership.[37] Cameron headed the economic section. It was while working on this campaign that Cameron first worked closely with and befriendedSteve Hilton, who was later to become Director of Strategy during his party leadership.[38] The strain of getting up at 04:45 every day was reported to have led Cameron to decide to leave politics in favour of journalism.[39]
Special adviser to the chancellor
The Conservatives' unexpected success in the 1992 election led Cameron to hit back at older party members who had criticised him and his colleagues, saying "whatever people say about us, we got the campaign right", and that they had listened to their campaign workers on the ground rather than the newspapers. He revealed he had led other members of the team across Smith Square to jeer atTransport House, the former Labour headquarters.[40] Cameron was rewarded with a promotion tospecial adviser to thechancellor of the exchequer,Norman Lamont.[41]
Cameron was working for Lamont at the time ofBlack Wednesday, when pressure from currency speculators forced thepound sterling out of theEuropean Exchange Rate Mechanism. At the 1992 Conservative Party conference, he had difficulty trying to arrange to brief the speakers in the economic debate, having to resort to putting messages on the internal television system imploring the mover of the motion,Patricia Morris, to contact him.[42] Later that month, Cameron joined a delegation of Special Advisers who visited Germany to build better relations with theChristian Democratic Union; he was reported to be "still smarting" over theBundesbank's contribution to the economic crisis.[43]
Lamont fell out with John Major after Black Wednesday and became highly unpopular with the public. Taxes needed to be raised in the 1993 Budget, and Cameron fed the options Lamont was considering through toConservative Campaign Headquarters for their political acceptability to be assessed.[44] By May 1993, the Conservatives' average poll rating dropped below 30%, where they would remain until the1997 general election.[45] Major and Lamont's personal ratings also declined dramatically. Lamont's unpopularity did not necessarily affect Cameron, who was considered as a potential "kamikaze" candidate for theNewbury by-election, which includes the area where he grew up.[46] However, Cameron decided not to stand.
During the by-election, Lamont gave the response "Je ne regrette rien" to a question about whether he most regretted claiming to see "the green shoots of recovery" or admitting to "singing in his bath" with happiness at leaving the European Exchange Rate Mechanism. Cameron was identified by one journalist as having inspired this gaffe; it was speculated that the heavy Conservative defeat in Newbury may have cost Cameron his chance of becoming chancellor himself, even though as he was not a member of Parliament he could not have been.[47] Lamont was sacked at the end of May 1993, and decided not to write the usual letter of resignation; Cameron was given the responsibility to issue to the press a statement of self-justification.[48]
After Lamont was sacked, Cameron remained at theTreasury for less than a month before being specifically recruited byHome SecretaryMichael Howard. It was commented that he was still "very much in favour"[49] and it was later reported that many at the Treasury would have preferred Cameron to carry on.[50] At the beginning of September 1993, he applied to go on Conservative Central Office's list ofprospective parliamentary candidates (PPCs).[51]
Cameron was much more socially liberal than Howard but enjoyed working for him.[45] According toDerek Lewis, then Director-General ofHer Majesty's Prison Service, Cameron showed him a "his and her list" of proposals made by Howard and his wife,Sandra. Lewis said that Sandra Howard's list included reducing the quality ofprison food, although she denied this claim. Lewis reported that Cameron was "uncomfortable" about the list.[52] In defending Sandra Howard and insisting that she made no such proposal, the journalistBruce Anderson wrote that Cameron had proposed a much shorter definition on prison catering which revolved around the phrase "balanced diet", and that Lewis had written thanking Cameron for a valuable contribution.[53]
During his work for Howard, Cameron often briefed the media. In March 1994, someone leaked to the press that the Labour Party had called for a meeting with John Major to discuss a consensus on thePrevention of Terrorism Act. After an inquiry failed to find the source of the leak, Labour MPPeter Mandelson demanded assurance from Howard that Cameron had not been responsible, which Howard gave.[54][55] A seniorHome Office civil servant noted the influence of Howard's Special Advisers, saying previous incumbents "would listen to the evidence before making a decision. Howard just talks to young public school gentlemen from the party headquarters."[56]
Carlton
In July 1994 Cameron left his role as Special Adviser to work as the Director of Corporate Affairs atCarlton Communications.[57] Carlton, which had won theITV franchise for London weekdays in 1991, was a growing media company which also had film-distribution and video-producing arms. Cameron was suggested for the role to Carlton executive chairmanMichael P. Green by his later mother-in-law Lady Astor.[58] He left Carlton in 1997 to run for Parliament, returning to his job after his defeat.
In 1997 Cameron played up the company's prospects fordigital terrestrial television, for which it joined withITV Granada andSky to formBritish Digital Broadcasting. In a roundtable discussion on the future of broadcasting in 1998, he criticised the effect of overlapping different regulators on the industry.[59] Carlton's consortium did win the digital terrestrial franchise, but the resulting company suffered difficulties in attracting subscribers. Cameron resigned as Director of Corporate Affairs in February 2001 to run for Parliament for a second time, although he remained on the payroll as a consultant.
Having been approved for the PPCs' list, Cameron began looking for a seat to contest for the1997 general election. He was reported to have missed out on selection forAshford in December 1994, after failing to get to the selection meeting as a result of train delays.[60] In January 1996, when two shortlisted contenders dropped out, Cameron was interviewed and subsequently selected forStafford, a constituency revised in boundary changes, which was projected to have a Conservative majority.[45][61] The incumbent Conservative MP,Bill Cash, ran instead in the neighbouring constituency ofStone, where he was re-elected. At the 1996 Conservative Party Conference, Cameron called fortax cuts in the forthcoming Budget to be targeted at the low-paid and to "small businesses where people took money out of their own pockets to put into companies to keep them going".[62] He also said the Party "should be proud of the Tory tax record but that people needed reminding of its achievements ... It's time to return to our tax-cutting agenda. The socialist prime ministers of Europe have endorsed Tony Blair because they want a federal pussy cat and not a British lion."[63]
When writing his election address, Cameron made his own opposition to British membership of thesingle European currency clear, pledging not to support it. This was a break with official Conservative policy, but about 200 other candidates were making similar declarations.[64] Otherwise, Cameron kept closely to the nationalparty line. He also campaigned using the claim that a Labour government would increase the cost of a pint of beer by 24p; however, the Labour candidate,David Kidney, portrayed Cameron as "a right-wing Tory". Initially, Cameron thought he had a 50/50 chance, but as the campaign wore on and the scale of the impending Conservative defeat grew, Cameron prepared himself for defeat.[65] On election day, Stafford had aswing of 10.7%, almost the same as the national swing, which made it one of the many seats to fall to Labour: Kidney defeated Cameron by 24,606 votes (47.5%) to 20,292 (39.2%), a majority of 4,314 (8.3%).[66][67]
In the round of selection contests taking place in the run-up to the2001 general election, Cameron again attempted to be selected for a winnable seat. He tried for theKensington and Chelsea seat after the death ofAlan Clark, but did not make the shortlist. He was in the final two but narrowly lost atWealden in March 2000,[68] a loss ascribed by Samantha Cameron to his lack of spontaneity when speaking.[69]
Cameron was selected as PPC forWitney in Oxfordshire in April 2000. This had been a safe Conservative seat, but its sitting MPShaun Woodward (who had worked with Cameron on the 1992 election campaign) had "crossed the floor" to join the Labour Party, and was selected instead for the safe Labour seat ofSt Helens South. Cameron's biographers Francis Elliott and James Hanning describe the two men as being "on fairly friendly terms".[70] Cameron, advised in his strategy by friendCatherine Fall, put a great deal of effort into "nursing" his potential constituency, turning up at social functions and attacking Woodward for changing his mind onfox hunting to support a ban.[71]
During the election campaign, Cameron accepted the offer of writing a regular column forThe Guardian's online section.[72] He won the seat with a 1.9% swing to the Conservatives, taking 22,153 votes (45%) to Labour candidate Michael Bartlet's 14,180 (28.8%), a majority of 7,973 (16.2%).[73][74]
Parliamentary backbencher
Upon his election to Parliament, Cameron served as a member of the CommonsHome Affairs Select Committee, a prominent appointment for a newly elected MP. He proposed that the Committee launch an inquiry into the law on drugs,[75] and urged the consideration of "radical options".[76] The report recommended a downgrading ofecstasy from Class A to Class B, as well as moves towards a policy of 'harm reduction', which Cameron defended.[77]
Cameron endorsedIain Duncan Smith in the2001 Conservative Party leadership election and organised an event in Witney for party supporters to hearJohn Bercow speaking for him.[78] Two days before Duncan Smith won the leadership contest on 13 September 2001, the9/11 attacks occurred. Cameron described Tony Blair's response to the attacks as "masterful", saying: "He moved fast, and set the agenda both at home and abroad. He correctly identified the problem ofIslamist extremism, the inadequacy of our response both domestically and internationally, and supported—quite rightly in my view—the action toremove the Taliban regime from Afghanistan."[79]
Cameron determinedly attempted to increase his public visibility, offering quotations on matters of public controversy. He opposed the payment of compensation to Gurbux Singh, who had resigned as head of theCommission for Racial Equality after a confrontation with the police;[80] and commented that the Home Affairs Select Committee had taken a long time to discuss whether the phrase "black market" should be used.[81] Cameron was passed over for a front-bench promotion in July 2002. Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith did invite Cameron and his allyGeorge Osborne to coach him on Prime Minister's Questions in November 2002. The next week, Cameron deliberately abstained in a vote on allowing same-sex and unmarried couples to adopt children jointly, against a whip to oppose; his abstention was noted.[82] The wide scale of abstentions and rebellious votes destabilised the Duncan Smith leadership.
Daniel Finkelstein has said of the period leading up to Cameron's election as leader of the Conservative party that "a small group of us (myself, David Cameron, George Osborne,Michael Gove,Nick Boles,Nick Herbert I think, once or twice) used to meet up in the offices ofPolicy Exchange, eat pizza, and consider the future of the Conservative Party".[85] Cameron's relationship with Osborne is regarded as particularly close; Conservative MPNadhim Zahawi suggested the closeness of Osborne's relationship with Cameron meant the two effectively shared power during Cameron's time as prime minister.[86] From February 2002 to August 2005, he was anon-executive director of Urbium PLC, operator of theTiger Tiger bar chain.[87]
Following the Labour victory in theMay 2005 general election, Michael Howard announced his resignation as leader of the Conservative Party and set a lengthy timetable for theleadership election. Cameron announced on 29 September 2005 that he would be a candidate. Parliamentary colleagues supporting him included Boris Johnson, shadow chancellor George Osborne, shadow defence secretary and deputy leader of the partyMichael Ancram,Oliver Letwin[88] and former party leaderWilliam Hague.[89] His campaign did not gain wide support until his speech, delivered without notes, at the 2005 Conservativeparty conference. In the speech, he vowed to make people "feel good about being Conservatives again" and said he wanted "to switch on a whole new generation".[90] His speech was well-received;The Daily Telegraph said speaking without notes "showed a sureness and a confidence that is greatly to his credit".[91]
In the first ballot of Conservative MPs on 18 October 2005, Cameron came second, with 56 votes, slightly more than expected;David Davis had fewer than predicted at 62 votes;Liam Fox came third with 42 votes; andKenneth Clarke was eliminated with 38 votes. In the second ballot on 20 October 2005, Cameron came first with 90 votes; David Davis was second, with 57; and Liam Fox was eliminated with 51 votes.[92] All 198 Conservative MPs voted in both ballots.
The next stage of the election process, between Davis and Cameron, was a vote open to the entire party membership. Cameron was elected with more than twice as many votes as Davis and more than half of all ballots issued; Cameron won 134,446 votes on a 78%turnout, to Davis's 64,398.[93] Although Davis had initially been the favourite, it was widely acknowledged that his candidacy was marred by a disappointing conference speech.[94] Cameron's election as the leader of the Conservative Party andleader of the opposition was announced on 6 December 2005. As is customary for an opposition leader not already a member, upon election Cameron became a member of thePrivy Council, being formally approved to join on 14 December 2005, and sworn of the council on 8 March 2006.[95]
Reaction to Cameron as Leader
In an interview at the headquarters ofOxfam in 2006
Cameron's relative youth, moderate image, and inexperience before becoming leader invited satirical comparison with Tony Blair.Private Eye soon published a picture of both leaders on its front cover, with the caption "World's first face transplant a success".[96] On the left, theNew Statesman unfavourably likened his "new style of politics" to Tony Blair's early leadership years.[97] Cameron was accused of paying excessive attention to appearance:ITV News broadcast footage from the 2006 Conservative Party Conference inBournemouth showing him wearing four different sets of clothes within a few hours.[98] In his column forThe Guardian, comedy writer and broadcasterCharlie Brooker described the Conservative leader as "a hollow Easter egg with no bag of sweets inside" in April 2007.[99]
On the right of the party,Norman Tebbit, a former Conservative chairman, likened Cameron toPol Pot, "intent on purging even the memory ofThatcherism before building a New Modern Compassionate Green Globally Aware Party".[100]Quentin Davies, who defected from the Conservatives to Labour on 26 June 2007, branded him "superficial, unreliable and [with] an apparent lack of any clear convictions" and stated that Cameron had turned the Conservative Party's mission into a "PR agenda".[101]Traditionalist conservative columnist and authorPeter Hitchens wrote: "Mr Cameron has abandoned the last significant difference between his party and the established left", by embracing social liberalism.[102]The Daily Telegraph correspondent and bloggerGerald Warner was particularly scathing about Cameron's leadership, saying that it alienated traditionalist conservative elements from the Conservative Party.[103]
Before he became Conservative leader, Cameron was reportedly known to friends and family as "Dave", though his preference is "David" in public.[104][105] Labour used the sloganDave the Chameleon in their2006 local elections party broadcast to portray Cameron as an ever-changingpopulist, which was criticised asnegative campaigning by the Conservative press, includingThe Daily Telegraph,[106] though Cameron asserted the broadcast had become his daughter's "favourite video".[107]
Allegations of recreational drug use
During the leadership election, allegations were made that Cameron had used cannabis andcocaine recreationally before becoming an MP.[108] Pressed on this point during the BBC television programmeQuestion Time, Cameron expressed the view that everybody was allowed to "err and stray" in their past.[109] During his 2005 Conservative leadership campaign, he addressed the question of drug consumption by remarking: "I did lots of things before I came into politics which I shouldn't have done. We all did."[109]
His Shadow Cabinet appointments included MPs associated with the various wings of the party. Former leader William Hague was appointed to the foreign affairs brief, while both George Osborne and David Davis were retained, asshadow chancellor of the Exchequer andShadow Home Secretary, respectively. Hague, assisted by Davis, stood in for Cameron during hispaternity leave in February 2006.[110] In June 2008 Davis announced his intention toresign as an MP, and was immediately replaced as shadow home secretary byDominic Grieve; Davis' surprise move was seen as a challenge to the changes introduced under Cameron's leadership.[111]
Areshuffle of the Shadow Cabinet was undertaken in January 2009, with the chief change being the appointment of former Chancellor of the Exchequer Kenneth Clarke as Shadow Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Secretary. Cameron stated that "With Ken Clarke's arrival, we now have the best economic team." The reshuffle also saw eight other changes made.[112]
In forming the caucus, which had 54 MEPs drawn from eight of the 27EU member states, Cameron reportedly broke with two decades of Conservative co-operation with the centre-right Christian Democrats, the European People's Party (EPP),[116] on the grounds that they are dominated by Europeanfederalists and supporters of theLisbon treaty.[116] EPP leaderWilfried Martens, formerprime minister of Belgium, stated: "Cameron's campaign has been to take his party back to the centre in every policy area with one major exception: Europe. ... I can't understand his tactics.Merkel andSarkozy will never accept his Euroscepticism."[116]
Shortlists for Parliamentary candidates
Similarly, Cameron's initial "A-List" of prospective parliamentary candidates was attacked by members of his party,[117] and the policy was discontinued in favour ofgender-balanced final shortlists. Before being discontinued, the policy had been criticised by senior Conservative MP and former Prisons SpokeswomanAnn Widdecombe as an "insult to women", and she had accused Cameron of "storing up huge problems for the future".[118]
South Africa
In April 2009The Independent reported that in 1989, whileNelson Mandela remained imprisoned under theapartheid regime, Cameron had accepted a trip to South Africa paid for by an anti-sanctions lobby firm. A spokesperson for him responded by saying that the Conservative Party was at that time opposed tosanctions against South Africa and that his trip was a fact-finding mission. However, the newspaper reported that Cameron's then superior at Conservative Research Department called the trip "jolly", saying that "it was all terribly relaxed, just a little treat, a perk of the job. TheBotha regime was attempting to make itself look less horrible, but I don't regard it as having been of the faintest political consequence." Cameron distanced himself from his party's history of opposing sanctions against the regime. He was criticised by Labour MPPeter Hain, himself an anti-apartheid campaigner.[119]
Raising teaching standards
At the launch of the Conservative Party's educationmanifesto in January 2010, Cameron declared an admiration for the "brazenly elite" approach to education of countries such asSingapore andSouth Korea, and expressed a desire to "elevate the status of teaching in our country".[120] He suggested the adoption of more stringent criteria for entry to teaching, and offered repayment of the loans of maths and science graduates obtaining first or 2.1 degrees from "good" universities.[121]
Wes Streeting, then president of theNational Union of Students, said: "The message that the Conservatives are sending to the majority of students is that if you didn't go to a university attended by members of the Shadow Cabinet, they don't believe you're worth as much."[122]
Expenses
During theparliamentary expenses scandal in 2009, Cameron said he would lead Conservatives in repaying "excessive" expenses and threatened to expel MPs that refused, after the expense claims of several members of his shadow cabinet had been questioned:
We have to acknowledge just how bad this is, the public are really angry and we have to start by saying, "Look, this system that we have, that we used, that we operated, that we took part in—it was wrong and we are sorry about that".[123]
A day laterThe Daily Telegraph published figures showing over five years he had claimed £82,450 on his second home allowance.[124] Cameron repaid £680 claimed for repairs to his constituency home.[125] Although he was not accused of breaking any rules, Cameron was placed on the defensive over mortgage interest expense claims covering his constituency home, after a report inThe Mail on Sunday suggested he could have reduced the mortgage interest bill by putting an additional £75,000 of his own money towards purchasing the home in Witney, instead of paying off an earlier mortgage on his London home.[126] Cameron said that doing things differently would not have saved the taxpayer any money, as he was paying more on mortgage interest than he was able to reclaim as expenses anyway.[126] He also spoke out in favour of laws giving voters the power to "recall" or "sack" MPs accused of wrongdoing.[126] In April 2014 he was criticised for his handling of the expenses row surrounding Culture SecretaryMaria Miller, when he rejected calls from fellow Conservative MPs to sack her from the front bench.[127]
The Conservatives had last won a general election in 1992. The2010 general election resulted in the Conservatives, led by Cameron, winning the largest number of seats (306). This was, however, 20 seats short of an overall majority, and resulted in the nation's firsthung parliament sinceFebruary 1974.[128]
Talks between Cameron and then Liberal Democrat leaderNick Clegg led to an agreed Conservative/Liberal Democrat coalition. In late 2009 Cameron had urged the Liberal Democrats to join the Conservatives in a new "national movement", saying there was "barely a cigarette paper" between them on a large number of issues. The invitation was rejected at the time by Clegg who said that the Conservatives were totally different from his party, and that the Lib Dems were the true "progressives" in UK politics.[129]
Elizabeth II, following Gordon Brown's resignation as prime minister on 11 May 2010, extended an invitation to Cameron to establish a new administration based on Brown's recommendation.[130] At age 43, Cameron became the youngest prime minister sinceLord Liverpool in 1812, beating the record previously set by Tony Blair in May 1997.[131] In his first address outside10 Downing Street, he announced his intention to form acoalition government, the first since theSecond World War, with the Liberal Democrats.[132]
Nick Clegg and I are both political leaders that want to put aside party differences and work hard for the common good and for the national interest. I believe that is the best way to get the strong government that we need, decisive government that we need today. This is going to be hard and difficult work. A coalition will throw up all sorts of challenges. But I believe together we can provide that strong and stable government that our country needs based on those values – rebuilding family, rebuilding community, above all, rebuilding responsibility in our country.
— David Cameron during his first speech as prime minister, 12 May 2010
Cameron outlined how he intended to "put aside party differences and work hard for the common good and for the national interest".[131] As one of his first moves Cameron appointed Nick Clegg, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, as deputy prime minister on 11 May 2010.[130] Between them, the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats controlled 363 seats in the House of Commons, giving them a comfortable majority of 76 seats.[133]
With Clegg in 2010 after entering government
In June 2010, Cameron described the economic situation as he came to power as "even worse than we thought" and warned of "difficult decisions" to be made over spending cuts.[134] By the beginning of 2015, he was able to claim thathis government's austerity programme had succeeded in halving thebudget deficit, although as a percentage ofGDP rather than in cash terms.[135]
In December 2010, Cameron attended a meeting withFIFA vice-presidentChung Mong-joon, in which a vote-trading deal for the right to host the 2018 World Cup in England was discussed.[136][137]
Domestic affairs
Welfare and benefits
Upon entering office in May 2010, Cameron positioned social reform as integral to his government's broader ambition to tackle poverty and restore social responsibility. He promoted a "life chances" agenda that framed poverty not only in material terms, but in terms of a lack of opportunity and generational disadvantage. The government announced its intention to adopt a "lifecycle approach" targeting family life, education, mental health and addiction through coordinated interventions across those domains.[138][139]
Cameron extended reforms into broader public services through the "Big Society" agenda. A 2011 white paper proposed opening schools, hospitals, and council-run services to non‑public providers under "payment‑by‑results" contracts, with aims of improving efficiency and innovation through increased choice and competition.[140] In December 2015, due to sustained concern over failing children's services, Cameron announced that persistently underperforming local authorities would be required to transfer services to high‑performing councils, independent charities, or spin‑out organisations—a structural reform intended to improve outcomes and accountability.[141] Cameron's also government enacted welfare reforms, including the introduction ofUniversal Credit and the so‐called "bedroom tax", aimed at reducing welfare spending and encouraging labour market participation. These reforms were linked in academic studies to negative social outcomes—such as increased crime and welfare losses in deprived areas—even beyond fiscal savings.[142][143]
Cameron's government in May 2016 directed reforms specifically for social workers and those leaving care. Legislation envisaged a statutory care‑leaver covenant obliging local authorities to provide detailed entitlements up to age 25 in areas such as housing, employment, and health support. Additionally, mandatory mentoring for care‑leavers and a shift in the balance of decision‑making to favor adoption over temporary foster placements were introduced to promote stability for vulnerable children.[144][145]
Constitutional referendums
As a part of the deal to enter into coalition with theLiberal Democrats, the Conservatives pledged to hold areferendum on a2011 alternative voting system.[146] The referendum was held in May 2011 and proposed replacing the currentfirst-past-the-post voting system with analternative voting system, it was defeated at the polls and later go on to be a catalyst for the fall of the Liberal Democrats.[147] Cameron agreed to holding the2014 Scottish independence referendum and eliminated the "devomax" option from the ballot for a straight out yes or no vote. His support for the successfulBetter Together campaign extended to making a successful request to the Queen to intervene.[148] He had also backed a successful campaign to retain the status quo in areferendum on changing the voting system, held at the request of his coalition partners. The 2016 referendum on the UK's membership of the European Union meant that his tenure as British prime minister saw an unprecedented three referendums on the UK's constitutional future.
Cameron supported the introduction ofgay marriage, despite more of his own Conservative MPs voting against the move than for it, meaning the support of Lib Dem MPs in government and Labour MPs in opposition was required to allow it to pass.[149] Earlier in his term, he had managed to secure a huge majority for UK participation in UN-backed military action in Libya,[150] but Cameron became the first prime ministersince 1782 to lose a foreign policy vote in the House of Commons over proposed military action againstBashar al-Assad's regime in Syria.[151][152] Subsequently, Barack Obama askedcongressional approval,[153] which was not ultimately granted.
Education
Cameron advocated a substantial expansion ofacademy andfree school provision in England, positioning them as central to improving standards. From May 2010 to mid‑2014, the number of academies soared from 203 to over 4,600, with more than half of secondary schools operating under academy status by mid‑2013.[154] He pledged to open at least 500 additional free schools by 2020, aiming to create around 270,000 new places, and announced the launch of 31 free schools in mid‑2016 alone, offering approximately 20,000 extra places.[155]
Under Cameron's government, the national curriculum underwent revision to make it more challenging forstate schools embedding early exposure to subjects such ascomputing, advancedmathematics,geography andhistory thinking from age five onwards.[156] In December 2014, his government launched a £67 million initiative to retrain approximately 15,000 teachers inSTEM subjects, and offered bursaries to attract top university graduates in maths and physics into teaching roles.[157] Parallel to this were proposals for aNational Teaching Service designed to deploy high‑quality educators to poorly performing schools, and expanded powers for regional school commissioners to intervene swiftly in inadequately rated schools.[158]
Cameron introduced thepupil premium in 2011, allocating additional per-pupil funding to schools serving students eligible for free school meals. The aim was to mitigate socioeconomic disparities by directing more resources to disadvantaged pupils, supporting social mobility through enhanced educational opportunity.[159][160]
UK median household disposable income by income group for 2008–2016, indexed to 2008[161]
In response to theGreat Recession, Cameron undertook the austerity programme. This was presented by the Cameron administration as deficit reduction programme consisting of sustained reductions in public spending, which the government argued would reduce thegovernment budget deficit and thewelfare state in the United Kingdom. TheNational Health Service[162] and education[163] were "ringfenced" and protected from direct spending cuts.[164] Cameron and Chancellor George Osborne claimed they aimed to eliminate the structural deficit (i.e. deficit on current spending as opposed to investment), and to have government debt falling as a percentage of GDP.[165] By 2015 the deficit as a percentage of GDP had reduced to half what it was in 2010.[165]
Cameron jointly with Osborne, introduced anausterity‑based fiscal strategy which they claimed was aiming to sharply reduce the public deficit that had ballooned in the wake of the2008 financial crisis. The programme relied primarily on reductions in public spending—approximately 5% of GDP over the coalition period—while protecting day‑to‑day budgets for theNHS, education, and international development. Tax reforms accompanied spending cuts, including aVAT rise from 17.5% to 20%, increasedNational Insurance contributions, alongside reductions in the higher rate of income tax (from 50% to 45%) and corporation tax cuts from 28% to 19%. By 2015, the structural deficit as a percentage of GDP had roughly halved relative to 2010.[166]
Between 2010 and mid-2015, unemployment fell from around 7.9% to about 5.5% as employment expanded by roughly 2.45 million jobs.[167][168][169] Economic growth remained modest, often described as sluggish, with GDP growth rates of around 0.4–0.8 % in the later years of the coalition. While the deficit declined, national debt rose from circa 71% of GDP in 2010 to approximately 84% by 2016.[170] Critics and some economic commentators have argued that austerity slowed recovery and constrained growth — illustrating the risk of premature fiscal tightening in a weak economy.[171]
Immigration
Cameron said immigration from outside the EU should be subject to annual limits. He said in July 2013 that "in the last decade we have had an immigration policy that's completely lax. The pressure it puts on our public services and communities is too great."[172] In 2015The Independent reported: "The Conservatives have failed spectacularly to deliver their pledge to reduce net migration to less than 100,000 a year. TheOffice for National Statistics (ONS) announced a net flow of 298,000 migrants to the UK in the 12 months to September 2014—up from 210,000 in the previous year."[173]
Visiting British troops inAfghanistan, October 2014
In 2014 Cameron dismissed warnings that his cuts to the UK defence budget had left it less than a "first class-player in terms of defence" and no longer a "full partner" to the United States.[174]
In theJuly 2015 budget, Chancellor George Osborne announced that the UK defence spending would meet the NATO target of 2% of GDP.[175]
Cameron said he was "proud" of the role United Kingdom played in the overthrow of Gaddafi's government.[179] Cameron also stated that UK had played a "very important role",[180] adding that "a lot of people said that Tripoli was completely different to Benghazi and that the two don't get on—they were wrong. ... People who said 'this is all going to be an enormous swamp of Islamists and extremists'—they were wrong".[181]
In 2015 through 2016 theForeign Affairs Select Committee conducted an extensive and highly critical inquiry into the British involvement in the civil war. It concluded that the early threat to civilians had been overstated, and that the significant Islamist element in the rebel forces had not been recognised, due to an intelligence failure. By mid-2011, the initial limited intervention to protect Libyan civilians had become a policy ofregime change. However, that new policy did not include proper support for a new government, leading to a political and economic collapse in Libya, and the growth ofISIL in North Africa. It concluded that Cameron was ultimately responsible for this British policy failure.[182][183][184]
US president Barack Obama also acknowledged there had been issues with following up the conflict planning, commenting in an interview withThe Atlantic that Cameron had allowed himself to be "distracted by a range of other things".[185][186][187]
In 2013 in response to Argentina's calls for negotiations over theFalkland Islands' sovereignty,a referendum was called, askingFalkland Islanders whether they supported the continuation of their status as anOverseas Territory of the United Kingdom. With a turnout of 91.94%, an overwhelming 99.8% voted to remain a British territory, with only three votes against.[188] In light of this, Cameron said: "We believe in the Falkland islanders' right to self-determination. They had a referendum. They couldn't have been more clear about wanting to remain with our country and we should protect and defend them".[189]
Saudi Arabia
Hosting a hunger summit in 2012, withPelé (second left) andMo Farah (right) outside 10 Downing Street
Cameron reiterated calls for an independent investigation into thealleged war crimes during the final stages of the Sri Lankan Civil War.[196] "There needs to be proper inquiries into what happened at the end of the war, there needs to be proper human rights, democracy for theTamil minority in that country" Cameron stated.[197][198] He stated that, if this investigation was not completed by March 2014, he would press for an independent international inquiry.[199][200][201] This followed a visit toJaffna, a war-ravaged town in the northern part of Sri Lanka; Cameron was the first foreign leader to visit Jaffna since the island once colonised by Britain became independent in 1948.[202][203] Cameron was mobbed by demonstrators, mostly women, seeking his assistance in tracingmissing relatives.[204][205]
Turkey
In a speech inAnkara in July 2010, Cameron stated unequivocally his support forTurkey's accession to the EU, citing economic, security and political considerations, and claimed that those who opposed Turkish membership were driven by "protectionism, narrow nationalism or prejudice".[206][207] In that speech, he was also critical of Israeli action during theGaza flotilla raid – which had killed nine Turkish activists – andits Gaza policy, and repeated his opinion that Israel had turned Gaza into a "prison camp",[206] having previously referred to Gaza as "a giant open prison".[208] These views were met with mixed reactions.[209][210] The Cameron government declined to formally recognisethe Ottoman Empire's massacres of Armenians as a "genocide".[211]
During the EU referendum campaign, Cameron stated that Turkey was unlikely to be ready to join the EU "until the year 3000", at its current rate of progress.[212]
Israel
At the end of May 2011 Cameron stepped down as patron of theJewish National Fund,[213][214] becoming the first British prime minister not to be patron of the charity in the 110 years of its existence.[215]
In a speech in 2011, Cameron said: "You have a prime minister whose commitment and determination to work for peace in Israel is deep and strong. Britain will continue to push for peace, but will always stand up for Israel against those who wish her harm". He said he wanted to reaffirm his "unshakable" belief in Israel within the same message.[216] He also voiced his opposition to theGoldstone Report, claiming it had been biased against Israel and not enough blame had been placed on Hamas.
In March 2014, during his first visit to Israel as prime minister, Cameron addressed Israel'sKnesset inJerusalem, where he offered his full support for peace efforts between Israelis and Palestinians, hoping a two-state solution might be achieved.[217] He also made clear his rejection of trade or academic boycotts against Israel,[218] acknowledged Israel's right to defend its citizens as "a right enshrined in international law", and made note of theBalfour Declaration of 1917, as "the moment when the State of Israel went from a dream to a plan, Britain has played a proud and vital role in helping to secure Israel as a homeland for the Jewish people."[217] During his two-day visit, he met with Israeli prime ministerBenjamin Netanyahu and with Palestinian Authority presidentMahmoud Abbas.[219] Senior Foreign Office ministerBaroness Warsi resigned over the Cameron government's decision not to condemn Israel for the2014 Israel–Gaza conflict, saying that the government's "approach and language during the current crisis in Gaza is morally indefensible".[220]
In August 2013 Cameron lost a motion in favour of bombing Syrian armed forces in response to theGhouta chemical attack, becoming the first prime minister to suffer such a foreign-policy defeat since 1782.[221] In September 2014, MPs passed a motion in favour of British planes joining, at the request of the Iraqi government, a bombing campaign againstIslamic State (IS) targets in Iraq;[222] the motion explicitly expressed parliament's disapproval of UK military action in Syria.[223] Cameron promised that, before expandingUK air strikes and ground support to include IS units in Syria, he would seek parliamentary approval.[224]
In July 2015 aFreedom of Information (FOI) request byReprieve revealed that, without the knowledge of UK parliamentarians, RAF pilots had, in fact, been bombing targets in Syria, and that Cameron knew of this.[225][226] The Prime Minister, along with Defence SecretaryMichael Fallon, faced strong criticism, including from Conservative MPs, for not informing the Commons about this deployment; the Ministry of Defence said that the pilots concerned were "embedded" with foreign military forces, and so were "effectively" operating as such, while Fallon denied that MPs had been, as he put it, "kept in the dark".[227][228][229] The Reprieve FoI request also revealed that British drone pilots had been embedded, almost continuously, with American forces atCreech Air Force Base since 2008. These drone operators, who were "a gift of services", meaning the UK still paid their salaries and covered their expenses, had been carrying out operations that included reconnaissance in Syria to assist American strikes against IS.[230]
Fallon said that it was "illogical" for the UK not to bomb ISIL in Syria, for the organisation does not "differentiate between Syria and Iraq" and is "organised and directed and administered from Syria".[231] Following theterrorist attacks on Paris in November 2015, for which Islamic State claimed responsibility, Cameron began pushing for a strategy for theRoyal Air Force to bomb Syria in retaliation.[232] Cameron set out his case for military intervention to Parliament on 26 November, telling MPs that it was the only way to guarantee Britain's safety, and would be part of a "comprehensive" strategy to defeat IS.[233] On 3 December 2015, MPs voted 397–223 in favour of launching air strikes against ISIL targets in Syria. The vote for military action was supported by all but seven members of the Parliamentary Conservative Party, as well as 66 Labour MPs who backed the government in defiance of their leader,Jeremy Corbyn, who had expressed his opposition to air strikes.[234]
Cameron was re-elected UK prime minister on 7 May 2015 with a majority in the Commons.[235] The Conservative Party's decisive victory in the general election was a surprise, as most polls and commentators had suggested the outcome was too close to call and that the result would be a second hung parliament.[236] Cameron said of his first term when returned as prime minister for a second term that he was "proud to lead the first coalition government in 70 years" and offered particular thanks to Clegg for his role in it.[237] Forming the firstConservative majority government elected since1992, David Cameron became the first prime minister to be re-elected immediately after a full term with a larger popular vote share sinceLord Salisbury at the1900 general election.
In response to the November 2015 Paris attacks, Cameron secured the support of the House of Commons to extend air strikes againstISIS into Syria.[238] Earlier that year, Cameron had outlined a five-year strategy to counter Islamist extremism and subversive teachings.[239]
2016 referendum and resignation
Announcing his resignation as prime minister following the UK vote to leave EU membership, June 2016
The referendum was held on 23 June 2016. The result was approximately 52% in favour of leaving the European Union and 48% against, with a turnout of 72%.[242][243] On 24 June, a few hours after the results became known, Cameron announced that he would resign the office of prime minister by the start of the Conservative Party Conference in October 2016. In a speech the next day outside 10 Downing Street, he stated that, on account of his own advocacy on behalf of remaining in the EU: "I do not think it would be right for me to try to be the captain that steers our country to its next destination."[244][245][246][247]
There was some strong criticism made of Cameron and his government following the referendum. Matthew Norman, in an opinion piece inThe Independent, called the referendum an act of "indescribably selfish recklessness".[248] In late July, Parliament's Foreign Affairs Select Committee was told that Cameron had refused to allow the Civil Service to make plans for Brexit, a decision the committee described as "an act of gross negligence".[249] His farewell speech as he left No. 10 accompanied by his family stressed the value of selfless public service.[250]
TheConservative Party leadership election was scheduled for 9 September and the new leader was expected to be in place by the autumn conference, set to begin on 2 October.[251] On 11 July, following the withdrawal ofAndrea Leadsom from the Conservative Party leadership election and the confirmation ofTheresa May as the newleader of the Conservative Party, Cameron announced he would hold a final cabinet meeting on 12 July and then, following a final Prime Minister's Questions, submit his resignation to the Queen on the afternoon of 13 July. Cameron delivered his resignation speech in front of 10 Downing Street on 11 July. Cameron's resignation speech attracted further attention when he walked away humming a tune, picked up by microphone, after he had finished his speech.[252] After his final Prime Minister's Questions, Cameron received a standing ovation from MPs; his final comment was, "I was the future once"—a reference to his 2005 quip to Tony Blair, "he was the future once". Cameron then submitted his resignation to the Queen later that day.[253]
Although no longer serving as prime minister, Cameron originally stated that he would continue inside Parliament, on the Conservativebackbenches.[254] On 12 September, however, he announced that he was resigning his seat with immediate effect,[255] and was appointed to theManor of Northstead. He was succeeded as MP for Witney by fellow ConservativeRobert Courts.[256]The Washington Post described him as having "sped away without glancing back" onceTheresa May had "vaulted herself out of the hurricane-strength political wreckage of Britain's vote to leave the European Union."[257]
In October 2016 Cameron became chairman of theNational Citizen Service Patrons.[258] In January 2017, he was appointed president ofAlzheimer's Research UK to address misconceptions surroundingdementia and campaign for medical research funding to tackle the condition.[259] He left the position upon his appointment as foreign secretary in November 2023, before returning to the charity as president in March 2025.[260]
All appointments post-premiership have to be approved by the UK government'sAdvisory Committee on Business Appointments. In addition to the two posts above, they have also approved the following positions:[261]
Consultant and Chair of International Advisory Board,Illumina Inc.
Cameron maintained a low profile following his resignation as prime minister and the subsequentBrexit negotiations. In January 2019, following May's defeat in the House of Commons over her draft withdrawal agreement, Cameron gave a rare interview to reporters outside his house inNotting Hill, saying he backed May's Brexit deal with the EU and did not regret calling the 2016 referendum.[262] However, he later said that the outcome of the referendum had left him "hugely depressed", and toldThe Times he knew "some people will never forgive me". He confessed: "Every single day I think about it, and the fact that we lost, and the consequences, and the things that could have been done differently, and I worry desperately".[263]
In the months following Boris Johnson's election as prime minister, Cameron began criticising Johnson's Brexit strategy, including his decision toprorogue parliament ahead of the Brexit deadline of 31 October, and the removal of the whip from Conservative MPs who voted to block ano-deal Brexit. Additionally, he accused Johnson, as well as Michael Gove, of behaving "appallingly" during the referendum campaign of 2016.[263]
In September 2020, Cameron became the fifth former prime minister to criticise theUK Internal Market Bill, over which he said he had "misgivings". He said the "bigger picture" was about trying to get a trade deal with the EU, urging the government to "keep that context [and] that big prize in mind."[264]
Cameron published a memoir,For the Record, on 19 September 2019 throughHarperCollins.[265] He was reported to have signed an £800,000 contract for the book.[266] According to theGuardian, the book was initially scheduled for 2018, but was delayed so Cameron would not be perceived as a "backstreet driver" in the ongoing Brexit negotiations.[265][267] The book gives an insight into his life at10 Downing Street, as well as inside explanations of the decisions taken by his government. Cameron said that his aim in writing the book was to "correct the record" where he thought it was wrong.[268]
During Cameron's premiership, the financierLex Greensill was an unpaid advisor who had access to eleven government departments.[269] In 2018 he became an advisor toGreensill Capital and held share options in the company[270] reportedly worth as much as $60 million as well as being paid over $1 million each year for 25 days' work per year.[269][271] APanorama investigation concluded that, overall, through a combination of his salary and share sales, Cameron earned around $10 million before tax for 30 months' part-time work.[272]
In 2019 Cameron arranged for a private meeting with Lex Greensill and Secretary of State for Health and Social CareMatt Hancock; under Hancock, several NHS trusts went on to use Greensill Capital's Earnd app.[273] In 2020 a few months before Greensill Capital collapsed, Cameron lobbied the government to bend the rules to allow it to receiveCovid Corporate Financing Facility loans.[274][275][276][277] He sent several text messages to Chancellor of the ExchequerRishi Sunak, who ultimately declined to help Greensill; Cameron also held ten virtual meetings with permanent secretaries Tom Scholar and Charles Roxburgh to try to obtain money for Greensill.[269][278][279] The government-ownedBritish Business Bank lent Greensill up to £400m through a different scheme, leading to a potential £335m loss to the taxpayer.[280] After press revelations in 2021 regarding the extent of Greensill Capital's access, a formal investigation was launched by the UK lobbying registrar to be led by Nigel Boardman, a non-executive board member of theDepartment for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.[281][282]
NYU Abu Dhabi
In January 2023, Cameron was assigned to teach politics in a three-week course atNew York University Abu Dhabi. He was to lecture students on "practising politics and government in the age of disruption", which included topics like theUkraine war and migration crisis.[283]
Migrant crisis
In May 2023, Cameron expressed support for theRwanda asylum plan andSuella Braverman's policies against illegal immigration into the UK, arguing in an interview withLBC: "I think if you don't have a better answer to the things that the government is doing to try and stop this illegal trade, then I think there's no point criticising."[284][285]
His tenure was dominated by theRussian invasion of Ukraine, theGaza war, and theGaza humanitarian crisis. Cameron visited 35 countries and territories during his tenure as foreign secretary, and was deputised in the House of Commons byAndrew Mitchell. Cameron visited the site of theBe'eri massacre, part of the2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel, on 23 November to meet Israeli foreign ministerEli Cohen. Afterwards, he met theIsraeli prime ministerBenjamin Netanyahu to discuss among other urgent matters, facilitating further aid toGaza.[292] Cameron said in an interview with the BBC that he told Israeli officials that "they must abide by international humanitarian law" and that the number ofPalestinian casualties was "too high". He also said that the "settler violence" against Palestinians in the occupiedWest Bank is "completely unacceptable".[293] Cameron backed a "sustainable ceasefire" in the Gaza Strip on 17 December, called for more aid to reach Gaza, and called for the Israeli government to "do more to discriminate sufficiently between terrorists and civilians". He, however, rejected calls for a "general and immediate ceasefire", differentiating this from the "sustainable ceasefire" he called for alongside German foreign ministerAnnalena Baerbock.[294]
In January 2024 he expressed concern about potential breaches of international law by Israel, specifically addressing the need for Israel torestore water supplies to Gaza.[295] Cameron said in the same month that "Israel is acting in self-defence after the appalling attack on October 7" and denied that Israel is committingwar crimes in Gaza. He dismissed South Africa'sICJ genocide case against Israel as "nonsense", saying that Israel is "a democracy, a country with the rule of law, a country with armed forces that are committed to obeying the rule of law".[296] Cameron announced in late January that the government would consider recognisingPalestine as a country, while also adding that would help to make a two-state solution "irreversible".[297] In April 2024 Cameron threatened the chief prosecutor of theInternational Criminal Court,Karim Khan, that the UK would "defund the court and withdraw from the Rome Statute" if it issued arrest warrants for Israeli politicians. The court subsequentlyissued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu and Defence MinisterYoav Gallant.[298]
Iran attacked Israel in April 2024 with 301 drones and missiles, and the UK aided Israel to shoot them all down withRAFEurofighter Typhoons.[304] Cameron toldLBC radio hostNick Ferrari that, were the UK to offer the same sort of support to Ukraine, it would represent a "dangerous escalation".[305] In the same month, he became the first British foreign secretary to visitTajikistan,Kyrgyzstan andTurkmenistan.[306] In June 2024 Cameron was tricked by Russian prankstersVovan and Lexus, posing as formerUkrainian presidentPetro Poroshenko. Cameron, duped into believing he was actually speaking to Poroshenko, made a series of disclosures relating to the war in Ukraine, including details from a private dinner he had with then-U.S. presidential candidateDonald Trump.[307][308]
Cameron described himself in December 2005 as a "moderncompassionate conservative" and spoke of a need for a new style of politics, saying that he was "fed up with thePunch and Judy politics ofWestminster".[314] He was "certainly a bigThatcher fan, but I don't know whether that makes me a Thatcherite",[315] saying he was a "liberal Conservative", though "not a deeply ideological person."[316] As leader of the opposition, Cameron asserted that he did not intend to oppose the government as a matter of course, and would offer his support in areas of agreement. He has urged politicians to concentrate more on improving people's happiness and "general well-being", instead of focusing solely on "financial wealth".[317] There were claims that he described himself to journalists at a dinner during the leadership contest as the "heir to Blair".[318]
In his first Conservative conference speech as party leader in Bournemouth in 2006, he described the National Health Service as "one of the 20th Century's greatest achievements". He went on to say: "Tony Blair explained his priorities in three words: education, education, education. I can do it in three letters: N.H.S." He also talked about his severely disabled son, Ivan, concluding: "So, for me, it is not just a question of saying the NHS is safe in my hands—of course it will be. My family is so often in the hands of the NHS, so I want them to be safe there."[319]
Cameron said that he believed in "spreading freedom and democracy, and supporting humanitarian intervention" in cases such as thegenocide inDarfur, Sudan. He said he rejectedneoconservatism because, as a conservative, he recognises "the complexities ofhuman nature, and will always be sceptical of grand schemes to remake the world."[320] A supporter of multilateralism, as "a country may act alone—but it cannot always succeed alone", he believes multilateralism can take the form of acting through "NATO, the UN, theG8, the EU and other institutions", or through internationalalliances.[321] Cameron said: "If the West is to help other countries, we must do so from a position of genuine moral authority" and "we must strive above all forlegitimacy in what we do."[321]
Cameron believes thatBritish Muslims have a duty tointegrate into British culture, but noted in an article published in 2007, that the Muslim community finds aspects such as high divorce rates and drug use uninspiring, and: "Not for the first time, I found myself thinking that it is mainstream Britain which needs to integrate more with the British Asian way of life, not the other way around."[322] In his first speech as PM on radicalisation and the causes of terrorism in February 2011, Cameron said that "statemulticulturalism" had failed.[323] In 2010 he appointed the first Muslim member of the British cabinet, Baroness Warsi, as a minister without portfolio, and in 2012 made her a special minister of state in foreign affairs. She resigned, however, in August 2014 over the government's handling of the 2014 Israel–Gaza conflict.
While urging members of his party to support the coalition's proposals forsame-sex marriage, Cameron said that he backed gay marriage not in spite of his conservatism, but because he is a conservative, and claimed it was about equality.[324] In 2012 Cameron publicly apologised for Thatcher-era policies on homosexuality, specifically the introduction of the controversialSection 28 of theLocal Government Act 1988, which he described as "a mistake".[325]
In 2006 Cameron described poverty as a "moral disgrace"[326] and promised to tacklerelative poverty.[327] In 2007 Cameron promised: "We can make British poverty history, and we will make British poverty history". The same year he also stated: "Ending child poverty is central to improving child well-being".[328] In 2015Polly Toynbee questioned Cameron's commitment to tackling poverty, contrasting his earlier statements agreeing that "poverty is relative" with proposals to change the government's poverty measure, and saying that cuts inchild tax credits would increase child poverty among low-paid working families.[329] Cameron denied that austerity had contributed to the2011 England riots, instead blaming street gangs and opportunistic looters.[330]
LGBT rights
In 2010 Cameron was given a score of 36% in favour of lesbian, gay and bisexual equality byStonewall.[331] Prior to 2005 Cameron was opposed to gay rights, calling it a "fringe agenda" and attacking Prime Minister Tony Blair for "moving heaven and earth to allow the promotion of homosexuality in our schools" by repealing the anti-gay Section 28 of the Local Government Act 1988.[332] Cameron is recorded byHansard as having voted against same-sex adoption rights in 2002, but he denies this, claiming he abstained from thethree-line whip imposed on him by his party. In 2008, he wanted lesbians who receive IVF treatment to be required to name a father figure, which received condemnation fromLGBT equality groups.[332] However, Cameron supported commitment for gay couples in a 2005 speech, and in October 2011 urged Conservative MPs to support gay marriage.[324]
In November 2012 Cameron and Nick Clegg agreed to fast-track legislation for introducing same-sex marriage.[333] Cameron stated that he wanted to give religious groups the ability to host gay marriage ceremonies, and that he did not want to exclude gay people from a "great institution".[334] In 2013 theMarriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013 became law despite opposition from more than half of his fellow Conservative MPs, including Cabinet ministersOwen Paterson andDavid Jones.[335] He also subsequently appointed two women who had voted against same-sex marriage as ministers in theGovernment Equalities Office,Nicky Morgan andCaroline Dinenage following the 2015 general election.[336]
In August 2013 he rejected calls byStephen Fry and others to strip Russia from hosting the2014 Winter Olympics due to its anti-gay laws.[337] Cameron did not attend the games, but denied it was a boycott in protest at Russia's laws, having previously raised the issue of gay rights in the country withVladimir Putin.[338]
Marriage and family values
In 2009 Cameron said "the restoration of family values and a new commitment to economic and social responsibility" were "key to repairing 'broken Britain'".[339] In 2013 Cameron described himself as "a marriage man, I am a great supporter of marriage. I want to promote marriage, defend marriage, encourage marriage." As such, he rejected calls from Conservative MPChristopher Chope to extendcivil partnership rights to heterosexual couples, saying: "I think we should be promoting marriage rather than looking at any other way of weakening it."[340] In 2018 theSupreme Court ruled unanimously that this position was discriminatory.[341]
Cameron criticisedGordon Brown (when Brown wasChancellor of the Exchequer) for being "an analogue politician in a digital age" and referred to him as "the roadblock to reform".[343] As prime minister, he reacted to press reports that Brown could be the next head of theInternational Monetary Fund by hinting that he may block the appointment, citing the huge national debt that Brown left the country with as a reason for Brown not being suitable for the role.[344]
He said thatJohn Prescott "clearly looks a fool" after Prescott's personal indiscretions were revealed in spring 2006, and wondered if the Deputy Prime Minister had broken the ministerial code.[345] During a speech to the Ethnic Media Conference in November 2006, Cameron also describedKen Livingstone, themayor of London, as an "ageing far left politician" following Livingstone's criticism ofTrevor Phillips, head of the Commission for Racial Equality.[346]
With his predecessorsGordon Brown, Tony Blair,John Major and Deputy PMNick Clegg, during Barack Obama's address in Westminster Hall, June 2011
In April 2006 Cameron accused theUK Independence Party of being "fruitcakes, loonies and closet racists, mostly",[347] leading UKIP MEPNigel Farage (who became leader in September of that year) to demand an apology for the remarks. Right-wing Conservative MPBob Spink, who later defected to UKIP, also criticised the remarks,[348] as didThe Daily Telegraph.[349] Cameron was seen encouraging Conservative MPs to join thestanding ovation given toTony Blair at the end of his last Prime Minister's Question Time; he had paid tribute to the "huge efforts" Blair had made and said Blair had "considerable achievements to his credit, whether it is peace in Northern Ireland or his work in the developing world, which will endure".[350]
In January 2007 Cameron made a speech in which he described extremistIslamic organisations and theBritish National Party as "mirror images" to each other, both preaching "creeds of pure hatred".[351] Cameron is listed as being a supporter ofUnite Against Fascism.[352]
In September 2015 after the election of Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader, Cameron called the party a "threat" to British national and economic security, on the basis of Corbyn's defence and fiscal policies.[353]
Foreign affairs
Iraq War
In an interview onFriday Night with Jonathan Ross in 2006, Cameron said that he supported the decision of the then Labour Government to go towar in Iraq, and said that he thought supporters should "see it through".[354] He also supported a motion brought by the SNP and Plaid Cymru in 2006, calling for an inquiry into the government's conduct of the Iraq war. In 2011 he oversaw the withdrawal of British soldiers from Iraq. He repeatedly called for theChilcot Inquiry into the Iraq war to conclude and publish its findings, saying: "People want to know the truth".[355]
In October 2012 asNarendra Modi rose to prominence in India, the UK rescinded its boycott of the then-Gujarat state Chief Minister overreligious riots in Gujarat in 2002 that left more than 2,000 dead,[358] and in November 2013, Cameron commented that he was "open" to meeting Modi.[359] Modi was later elected as prime minister in a landslide majority, leading to Cameron calling Modi and congratulating him on the "election success",[360] one of the first Western leaders to do so.[361]
Israel
With Prime Minister of IsraelBenjamin Netanyahu at Jerusalem, January 2024
In January 2024, Cameron dismissedSouth Africa'sICJ genocide case against Israel as "nonsense", saying that Israel is "a democracy, a country with the rule of law, a country with armed forces that are committed to obeying the rule of law".[296]
China
In October 2015Xi Jinping, thepresident of the People's Republic of China, paid astate visit to the United Kingdom under the Premiership of Cameron. Such episodes including the Chinese leader famously having a pint with Cameron at a local pub in Buckinghamshire,[362] and Queen Elizabeth hailing the visit as "milestone" during state banquet,[363] symbolised the increased cordiality between China and the United Kingdom under Cameron, in spite of the controversies around the state visit and the concerns with China's superpower status. The state visit was the third formalAnglo–Chinese diplomatic meetings, which involves either head of states or head of governments, following Cameron's visit to China in 2013 and then–PremierLi Keqiang's UK visit in 2014; the year 2015 alone also marked an unprecedented level of bilateral meetings and visits.[364]
The unprecedented level of friendly relations with China has also led to many, including the PRC and Cameron himself, marking his premiership as a "golden-era" of UK–China relations, where bilateral cooperation between the countries reached its apex. The UK government was even seen expressing interests in participating in Chinese diplomatic projects under Xi Jinping, such as theAsian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and theBelt and Road Initiative (BRI).[365] By 2023, upon Cameron's appointment as foreign secretary, eight years apart from the state visit of Xi, he was associating by media outlets, home and abroad, with the keyword "golden era",[366] even dubbing Cameron himself as "Lord Golden Era",[367] prompting concerns over the stances of theSunak government towards China as the latter welcomed Cameron's appointment as foreign secretary.[368]
In the years after Cameron became UK prime minister, UK relations with Russia initially showed a marked improvement. In 2011 Cameron visited Russia, and in 2012, Putin visited the UK for the first time in seven years, holding talks with Cameron, and also visiting the2012 London Olympics together.[369]
In May 2013 Cameron flew to meet Putin at his summer residence inSochi, Bocharov Ruchei, to hold talks on theSyria crisis. Cameron described the talks as "very substantive, purposeful and useful", and the leaders exchanged presents with each other. At that time, it was suggested that Cameron could use his good relations with both US presidentBarack Obama, and President Putin to act as a 'go-between' in international relations.[370] However, Cameron's relations to Russia soured drastically following theRusso-Ukrainian War. Cameron criticised the2014 Crimean status referendum as a "sham", with voters having "voted under the barrel of aKalashnikov", stating "Russia has sought to annex Crimea.... This is a flagrant breach of international law and something we will not recognise."[371] Cameron has gone on to be a fierce critic of Russia, and Putin, and supporter of Ukraine.[372]
Political image
"Dodgy Dave" moniker
In April 2016 then Labour MP for Bolsover,Dennis Skinner was reprimanded by House Speaker John Bercow for referring to Cameron as 'Dodgy Dave' (related to Skinner's contention of Cameron's dishonesty) in a parliamentary debate about thePanama Papers. Skinner was instructed by Bercow to repeat his question without referring to Cameron using the adjective 'dodgy'. When Skinner repeated his question, once again referring to Cameron as 'Dodgy Dave', he was ordered to leave parliament for the remainder of that day's session.[373][374] In July 2016, Skinner once again referred to Cameron as 'Dodgy Dave' in parliament, however this time he was not reprimanded, or asked to leave.[375]
"Dodgy Dave" has gained usage in the media, and on social media, when Cameron is being referred to disparagingly.[376][377][378][379][380]
Allegations of social elitism
Speaking at a Conservative reception in 2008
As leader of the Conservative Party, Cameron was accused of relying on "old-boy networks", and criticised by his party for the imposition of selective shortlists of women and ethnic minority prospective parliamentary candidates.[381][117] Several of Cameron's senior appointments, such as George Osborne as chancellor of the Exchequer, are former members of the Bullingdon Club. Michael Gove conceded it was "ridiculous" how many fellow Cabinet ministers were old Etonians, though he placed the blame on the failings of the state education system rather than Cameron.[382] However, Michael Mosbacher, co-founder ofStandpoint, wrote that Cameron's cabinet has the lowest number of Etonians of any past Conservative government: "David Cameron's government is the least patrician, least wealthy and least public-school-educated—indeed the least Etonian Conservative-led government this country has ever seen".[383]
Speaking in 2010
Plots against leadership
Following poor results in theMay 2012 local elections after a difficult few months for the government, with Labour increasing its lead in the polls, there were concerns from Conservative MPs about Cameron's leadership and his electability.David Davies, the chairman of theWelsh Affairs Select Committee, accused the Conservative leadership of "incompetence", and hinted that it could risk Cameron's leadership.[384]Nadine Dorries warned the Prime Minister that a leadership challenge could happen.[385]
Later that year, Conservative MPBrian Binley openly said that Cameron's leadership was like being a "maid" to the Liberal Democrats, and accused him of leading the party to defeat. In January 2013, it was revealed thatAdam Afriyie was planning his own bid for the Conservative leadership with the support of fellow MPsMark Field,Bill Wiggin,Chris Heaton-Harris,Patrick Mercer,Jonathan Djanogly andDan Byles.The Times andConservativeHome revealed that a "rebel reserve" of 55 Conservative MPs gave firm pledges to a co-ordinating MP to support a motion of no confidence and write to Brady simultaneously, more than the 46 MPs needed to trigger a vote of no confidence.[386]Andrew Bridgen openly called for a vote of confidence in Cameron's leadership, and claimed that the Prime Minister had a "credibility problem", but he dropped his bid for a contest a year later.[387]
Cameron and Andy Coulson
In 2007 Cameron appointedAndy Coulson, former editor of theNews of the World, as his director of communications. Coulson had resigned as the paper's editor following the conviction of a reporter in relation toillegal phone hacking, although stating that he knew nothing about it.[388][389] In June 2010, Downing Street confirmed Coulson's annual salary as £140,000, the highest pay of any special adviser to UK Government.[390]
In January 2011, Coulson left his post, saying that coverage of the phone-hacking scandal was making it difficult to give his best to the job.[388] In July 2011, Coulson was arrested and questioned by police in connection with further allegations of illegal activities at theNews of the World, and released on bail. Despite a call to apologise for hiring Coulson by the Leader of the Opposition, Cameron defended the appointment, saying that he had taken a conscious choice to give someone who had screwed up a second chance.[391] The same month, in a special parliamentary session at theHouse of Commons, arranged to discuss the News International phone hacking scandal, Cameron said that he "regretted the furore" that had resulted from his appointment of Coulson, and that "with hindsight" he would not have hired him.[392] Coulson was detained and charged with perjury byStrathclyde Police in May 2012.[393][394] Coulson was convicted of conspiracy to hack phones in June 2014. Prior to the jury handing down their verdict, Cameron issued a "full and frank" apology for hiring him, saying: "I am extremely sorry that I employed him. It was the wrong decision and I am very clear about that." The judge hearing Coulson's trial was critical of the Prime Minister, pondering whether the intervention was out of ignorance or deliberate, and demanded an explanation.[395]
Cameron and Michael Ashcroft
AlthoughLord Michael Ashcroft played a significant role in the 2010 election, he was not offered a ministerial post.[396] In June 2012, shortly before a major Conservative rebellion onHouse of Lords reform,[397] journalistPeter Oborne credited Ashcroft with "stopping the Coalition working" by moving policy on Europe, welfare, education and taxation to the right.[396] According to Oborne, Ashcroft, owner of both the ConservativeHome and PoliticsHome websites and a "brutal critic of the Coalition from the start", had established "megaphone presence" in the on-line media. He believes Cameron's philosophy of liberal conservatism has been destroyed by "coordinated attacks on the Coalition" and "the two parties are no longer trying to pretend that they are governing together."[396]
InThe Observer,Andrew Rawnsley commented that he believes that Ashcroft uses carefully timed opinion polls to "generate publicity", "stir trouble for the Prime Minister" and influence the direction of the party.[398] In 2015, Ashcroft releasedCall Me Dave, anunauthorised biography of Cameron written with journalistIsabel Oakeshott, which attracted significant media attention for various lurid allegations about Cameron's time at university. The book includes an anonymous anecdote about Cameron, now referred to asPiggate, in which he allegedly inserted his penis into a dead pig's head. No evidence for the anecdote has been produced. Many commentators have described the accusations as a "revenge job" by Ashcroft, who was not offered a senior role in government when Cameron came to power in 2010.[399][400] Ashcroft initially claimed the book was "not about settling scores", while Oakeshott said that they had held back publication until after the 2015 general election to avoid damaging Cameron and the Conservatives' electoral chances.[401] Ashcroft subsequently admitted that the initiation allegations "may have been case of mistaken identity" and has stated that he has a personal "beef" with Cameron.[399][400][402][403][404] Cameron later went on to deny these allegations and stated that Ashcroft's reasons for writing the book were clear and the public could see clearly through it.[405]
An ICM poll in September 2007 saw Cameron rated the least popular of the three main party leaders.[406][407] AYouGov poll on party leaders conducted on 9–10 June 2011 found 44% of the electorate thought he was doing well and 50% thought he was doing badly, while 38% thought he would be the best PM and 35% did not know.[408] In the run up to the 2015 election, Cameron achieved his first net positive approval rating in four years, with a YouGov poll finding 47% of voters thought he was doing well as prime minister compared with 46% who thought he was doing badly.[409]
In September 2015, an Opinium poll had similar results to the one shortly before the election, with voters split with 42% who approved of him and 41% who did not.[410] Cameron had significantly better net approval ratings in polls conducting in December and January (getting −6 in both) than Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn (who got −38 and −39).[411] However, following the Panama Papers leak in April 2016, his personal approval ratings fell below Corbyn's.[412]
Evaluations of premiership
In the months immediately following his resignation from the post of prime minister, a number of commentators gave negative evaluations of Cameron's premiership. TheUniversity of Leeds'2016 survey of post-war prime ministers, which collected the views of 82 academics specialising in the history and politics of post-war Britain, ranked Cameron as the third-worst prime minister since 1945, ranking above onlyAlec Douglas-Home andAnthony Eden. 90% of respondents cited his calling and losing of the Brexit referendum as his greatest failure.[413]
Cameron made a cameo appearance in theBBC television programmeTop Gear'sIndia Special, where he tells the trio ofJeremy Clarkson,James May andRichard Hammond to "stay away from India" after initially denying the group's request to improve economic relations with India in a letter and suggested that theymend fences with Mexico. He later stated through his aides that he did not like the special that he cameoed in, and that he had the "utmost respect" for the people of India.[414] Cameron was portrayed by comedianJon Culshaw in ITV's satirical sketch showNewzoids,[415] and byMark Dexter in the Channel 4 television filmsCoalition andBrexit: The Uncivil War. In 2019 he was interviewed forThe Cameron Years, a BBC mini-documentary series on his premiership.[416]
Amid theJimmy Savile sexual abuse scandal on 8 November 2012, Cameron was interviewed byPhillip Schofield andHolly Willoughby onThis Morning, and Schofield presented him with a list he had obtained from the internet of five people named as paedophiles in connection with theNorth Wales child abuse scandal.[417] The names of several former senior Conservative politicians were visible on the list.[418] Cameron responded by warning against a witchhunt, "particularly about people who are gay".[419] Schofield was widely criticised for his action,[417] with broadcasterJonathan Dimbleby describing his behaviour as "cretinous".[420] ITV's director of television,Peter Fincham, said that Schofield was "wrong" in confronting Cameron and the broadcaster had agreed to co-operate fully with government regulatorOfcom's investigation into the matter. The investigation was initiated after Ofcom received 415 complaints from viewers. Schofield later apologised, blaming a misjudged camera angle.[418] Schofield and ITV later paid £125,000 compensation to settle a libel suit from one of those falsely accused,Alistair McAlpine, Baron McAlpine of West Green.[421]
Personal life
Family
Cameron with his wife, Samantha, at a polling station in 2010
Cameron marriedSamantha Sheffield, the daughter ofSir Reginald Sheffield, 8th Baronet, and Annabel Lucy Veronica Jones (laterViscountess Astor) in 1996.[422] They have had four children. Their first child, Ivan Reginald Ian, was born on 8 April 2002 inHammersmith and Fulham, London, with a rare combination ofcerebral palsy and a form of severeepilepsy calledOhtahara syndrome, requiring round-the-clock care. Recalling the receipt of this news, Cameron was quoted as saying: "The news hits you like a freight train ... You are depressed for a while because you are grieving for the difference between your hopes and the reality. But then you get over that, because he's wonderful."[423] Ivan was cared for at the specialist NHS Cheyne Day Centre in West London, which closed shortly after he left it. Ivan died atSt Mary's Hospital,Paddington, London, on 25 February 2009, aged six.[424]
The Camerons have two daughters, Nancy Gwen (born 2004) and Florence Rose Endellion (born 2010),[425] and a son, Arthur Elwen (born 2006).[426] Cameron tookpaternity leave when Arthur was born, and this decision received broad coverage.[427] It was also stated that Cameron would be taking paternity leave after his second daughter was born.[425] She was born at theRoyal Cornwall Hospital on 24 August 2010, three weeks prematurely, while the family was on holiday inCornwall. Her third given name, Endellion, is taken from the village ofSt Endellion near where the Camerons were holidaying.[428][429]
In early May 2008, the Camerons decided to enroll their daughter Nancy at astate primary school. For three years before that, they had been attending its associated church,St Mary Abbots,[430] near the Cameron family home inNorth Kensington.[431] Cameron's constituency home is inDean, Oxfordshire, and the Camerons have been described as key members of theChipping Norton set.[432]
It was announced that Cameron would miss Prime Minister's Questions on 8 September 2010 to fly tosouthern France to see his father, Ian Cameron, who had had a stroke with coronary complications. Later that day, his father died.[433] Cameron attended a private ceremony for the funeral of his father on 17 September 2010 in Berkshire, which prevented him from hearing the address ofPope Benedict XVI inWestminster Hall, an occasion he would otherwise have attended.[434] In 2012 Cameron was criticised for leaving his daughter alone in a pub. Cameron had apparently left and forgotten her.[435]
In 2025, Cameron revealed toThe Sunday Times that the previous year he had been diagnosed withprostate cancer after his wife encouraged him to gettested.[436] Cameron added that he had undergone successful treatment to combat the disease.[437] He has since advocated for targeted screening programmes.[438]
Inheritance and family wealth
In October 2010, Cameron inherited £300,000 from his father's estate. Ian Cameron, who had worked as a stockbroker inthe City of London, used multimillion-pound investment funds based in offshore tax havens, such asJersey, Panama City andGeneva, to increase the family wealth. In 1982, Ian Cameron created the PanamanianBlairmore Holdings, anoffshore investment fund, valued at about $20 million in 1988, "not liable to taxation on its income or capital gains", which usedbearer shares until 2006.[439]
In April 2016, following the Panama Papers financial documents leak, Cameron faced calls to resign, after it was revealed that he and his wife Samantha had invested in Ian Cameron's offshore fund.[440] He owned £31,500 of shares in the fund and sold them for a profit of £19,000 shortly before becoming prime minister in 2010, which he paid full UK tax on.[441] Cameron argued that the fund was set up in Panama so that people who wanted to invest in dollar-denominated shares and companies could do so, and because full UK tax was paid on all profits he made, there was no impropriety.[442] A protest was held in London in April 2016, demanding Cameron's resignation.[443][444]
In 2009 theNew Statesman estimated his wealth at£3.2 million, adding that Cameron is expected to inherit "million-pound legacies" from both sides of his family.[445]
Before becoming prime minister, Cameron regularly used his bicycle to commute to work. In early 2006, he was photographed cycling to work, followed by his driver in a car carrying his belongings. His Conservative Party spokesperson subsequently said that this was a regular arrangement for Cameron at the time.[446]Cameron is an occasional jogger and in 2009 raised funds for charities by taking part in the Oxford 5K and theGreat Brook Run.[447]
A 2012 biography,Cameron: Practically a Conservative, stated that "If 'chillaxing' was an Olympic sport then David Cameron, would win a gold medal", citing Cameron's fondness for relaxing. The biography stated that Cameron's "ability to separate his private life from his professional life is seen as an asset by some friends, and by others as a sign of complacency in the midst of a double dip recession."[450]
Faith
At a Q&A in August 2013, Cameron described himself as a practising Christian and an active member of theChurch of England.[451] On religious faith in general, he said: "I do think that organised religion can get things wrong but the Church of England and the other churches do play a very important role in society."[452] He said he considers the Bible "a sort of handy guide" on morality.[453] He viewed Britain as a "Christian country", and aimed to put faith back into politics.[454]
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