Abstract

In Britain, after three successive general election defeats and five leaders since 1997, under David Cameron, and now Con-Lib government there appears to have been a significant shift in the Conservative party's positions across a range of areas, including many social policy issues. At the same time, other changes since 1997 mean that the policy environment is considerably different from when the Conservatives were last in government. These include constitutional change, public opinion, developments in the economy, and so on, as well as in substantive approaches to policy. This book examines the Conservative party's changing positions on a range of social policy areas, in particular since 1997. It provides a critical consideration of these changes and of the current state of Conservative social policy. This is first book to analyze social policy under the new Con-Lib government, covering the changing face of Conservatism and social policy over time. It cuts across broader questions of governance, as well as specific policy areas.