The Conservative
Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party and particularly referred
to as the Tory Party or the Tories, is a centre-right political party in the
United Kingdom and adopts the philosophies of conservatism and British
unionism. Since 2013, it is the major political party in the United Kingdom,
being the chief single party in the House of Commons with 303 MPs, the biggest
party in local government with 8,628 councilors, and the largest British party
in the European Parliament with 25 MEPs. It regulates in coalition with the Liberal
Democrats, with David Cameron, the leader of the Conservative Party, as Prime
Minister.
The
modern Conservative Party of the United Kingdom, also known as the Unionist
Party in the early 20th century, sketches its origins back to the
"Tory" supporters of James Stuart, Duke of York, later King James VII
& II, during the 1678-1681 exclusion crisis. The name was at first meant as
a pejorative—a 'Tory' was a type of Irish bandit.
The
name 'Conservative' was suggested by John Wilson Croker in the 1830s and later
officially taken on, but the party is still often referred to as the 'Tory Party’.
