The Conservative Party Leadership Election of 2001
Abstract
BY KEITH ALDERMAN AND NEIL CARTER THE 2001 Conservative Party leadership contest was the ï¬rst to be decided by the general membership of the party. Conducted under the new procedures adopted in 1998,1 the election comprised two stages: a series of eliminative ballots in the parliamentary party to produce two names which went forward to a ballot of the national party membership. It was the longest and one of the most bitter leadership contests in memory. It resulted in the experienced âheavyweightâ candidates losing to one who not only had no ministerial experience but was also (according to opinion polls) not the most popular with the general public. Hagueâs departure William Hague announced his intention to step down from the leadership as soon as a successor could be chosen, within only a few hours of having publicly conceded defeat in the general election. His decision to act so swiftly incurred a good deal of disapproval from within the party. Some portrayed his action as an attempt to escape criticism of his election tactics. Many believed that he should have waited until MPs had had an opportunity to digest the implications of the Conservativesâ second successive landslide defeat. Even