Conservative Party Statecraft and the Politics of Coalition

This article aims to evaluate the strategic positioning and ideology of the Conservatives in Coalition under the leadership of David Cameron. In doing so, it seeks to shed light on the key drivers of the party's elite leadership strategy since entering government in 2010. The analysis is framed in terms of statecraft, namely the attempt to carve out elite control of the main fields of ‘high politics’, with the objective of devising a successful electoral appeal and image of governing competence. The analysis is structured around three phases of Coalition governance: civilised partnership, uneasy cohabitation and divorce. The article argues that although the Conservatives have successfully dominated the government's agenda, key strategic dilemmas for the party remain ahead.