National Conservative Convention
The National Conservative Convention is a body of the Conservative Party of the United Kingdom. It is essentially the parliament of the party's voluntary wing (Voluntary Party).
It is composed of all constituency association chairs, officers from areas and regions, and 42 representatives from Conservative Future and the Conservative Women's Organisation.[1] The Convention meets twice a year—its Annual General Meeting is usually held at Spring Forum, with another meeting usually held at the Conservative Party Conference.
Party structure
The Conservative Party comprises the Voluntary Party, Parliamentary Party (sometimes called the Political Party) and the Professional Party.
Members of the public join the party by becoming part of a local constituency association.[2] The country is also divided into regions, with each region containing a number of areas, both having a similar structure to constituency associations. The National Convention is essentially the parliament of the Voluntary Party.
The 1922 Committee is effectively head of the Parliamentary Party its leader forms policy in consultation with his cabinet and administration. The Conservative Campaign Headquarters (CCHQ) is effectively head of the Professional Party and leads financing, organisation of elections and drafting of policy. The Conservative Party Board is the party's ultimate decision making body, responsible for all operational matters (including fundraising, membership and candidates) and is made up of representatives from each (voluntary, political and professional) section of the Party.[1]
History
The National Union of Conservative and Unionist Associations was a federation of the voluntary wing of the Conservative Party. It was responsible for running the party conferences, but did not have any power over the leadership, other than advisory. It was founded in 1867 and was the first formal national Conservative organisation. In 1998 the National Union was replaced by the National Conservative Convention.
Chairmen of National Conservative Convention
Until 1988, it was known as the National Union of Conservative and Unionist Associations.
- 1925: Sir Percy Woodhouse
- 1926: Dame Caroline Bridgeman
- 1927: Sir Robert Sanders MP
- 1928: John Gretton MP
- 1929: Gwilym Rowlands
- 1930: The Countess of Iveagh MP
- 1931: The Honourable George Herbert (also served as President in 1935) (No Conference held)
- 1932: The Earl Howe
- 1933: Sir Robert Geoffrey Ellis MP
- 1934: Miss Regina Evans
- 1935: Sir William Cope (later became Lord Cope)
- 1936: Sir Henry Leonard Brassey (later became Lord Brassey of Apethorpe)
- 1937: Mrs Clara Fyfe
- 1938: Sir Eugene Ramsden MP (No Conference held)
- 1939: Nigel Colman MP (No Conference held)
- 1940: The Lady Hillingdon (No Conference held)
- 1941: Sir Cuthbert Headlam MP (No Conference held)
- 1942: Councillor Robert Catterall (No Conference held)
- 1943: Councillor Robert Catterall
- 1944: Mrs Lionel Whitehead
- 1945: Rab Butler MP
- 1946: Major Richard Proby
- 1947: Hon. Mrs Henry Hornyold-Strickland
- 1948: Sir Herbert Williams
- 1949: Douglas Graham
- 1950: Anthony Nutting MP
- 1951: Mrs Lorne Sayers (No Conference held)
- 1952: Charles Waterhouse MP
- 1953: Mrs John Warde
- 1954: Sir Godfrey Llewellyn, Bt
- 1955: Hon. Evelyn Emmett, MP
- 1956: Sir Eric Edwards
- 1957: Mrs Walter Elliot
- 1958: Sir Stanley Bell
- 1959-1960: Sir Edward Brown
- 1961: Sir Douglas Glover MP
- 1962: Sir John Howard
- 1963: Mrs TCR Shepherd
- 1964-1965: Sir Max Bemrose[3]
- 1966: Sir Dan Mason (Sir Robert Davies, Oct 1966-Feb 1967)
- 1967: Mrs Charles Doughty
- 1968: Sir Theodore Constantine
- 1969: DP Crossman
- 1970: Sir Edwin Leather
- 1971: Mrs Unity Lister
- 1972: William Harris
- 1973: Mrs Roy Smith
- 1974-1975: Sir Alastair Graesser
- 1976: Miss Shelagh Roberts
- 1977: David Sells
- 1978: Sir Herbert Redfearn
- 1979: David Davenport-Handley
- 1980: Dame Ann Springman
- 1981: Sir Fred Hardman
- 1982: Donald Walters
- 1983: Peter Lane
- 1984: Dame Pamela Hunter
- 1985: Sir Basil Feldman
- 1986: Patrick Lawrence
- 1987: Dame Joan Seccombe
- 1988: Sir Ian McLeod
- 2010-2013: Jeremy Middleton CBE
- 2013-2016: Baroness Pidding CBE
- 2016-: Robert Semple CBE
Presidents of National Conservative Convention
Until 1988, it was known as the National Union of Conservative and Unionist Associations. The President of the NCC acts as Chairman of Conservative Party Conference for the year he is Chairman.
- 1925 Gerald Loder (had also served as Chairman of the National Union of Conservative and Constitutional Associations in 1899)
- 1926 George Lane-Fox
- 1927 Viscount Tredegar
- 1928 The Lord Queenborough
- 1929 The Lord Faringdon
- 1930 Neville Chamberlain MP
- 1931 Neville Chamberlain MP (No Conference held)
- 1932 Lord Stanley
- 1933 The Earl of Plymouth
- 1934 The Lord Bayford
- 1935 The Honourable George Herbert (had also served as Chairman in 1931, although no Conference was held)
- 1936 The Lord Ebbisham
- 1949: The Viscount Swinton
- 1950: Sir David Maxwell Fyfe, MP
- 1951: The Lord Ramsden
- 1952: Sir Thomas Dugdale, MP
- 1953: The Marquess of Salisbury
- 1954: Anthony Eden MP
- 1955: Mrs Lorne Sayers
- 1956: Rab Butler MP
- 1957: The Earl of Woolton
- 1958: Sir Richard Proby, Bt
- 1959-60: Henry Brooke MP
- 1961: The Viscount Hailsham
- 1962: Sir Godfrey Llewellyn, Bt
- 1963: The Earl of Home
- 1964-65: The Viscountess Davidson
- 1966: Selwyn Lloyd MP
- 1967: The Lord Chelmer
- 1968: Reginald Maudling MP
- 1969: The Baroness Brooke of Ystradfellte
- 1970: Iain Macleod MP
- 1971: William Whitelaw MP
- 1972: Dame Margaret Shepherd
- 1973: Anthony Barber MP
- 1974-75: Peter Thomas MP
- 1976: The Lord Hewlett of Swettenham
- 1977: The Lord Carrington
- 1978: Dame Adelaide Doughty
- 1979: Francis Pym MP
- 1980: The Lord Constantine of Stanmore
- 1981: Edward du Cann MP
- 1982: Sir John Taylor
- 1983: Sir Geoffrey Howe MP
- 1984: Sir Alistair Graesser
- 1985: Sir Humphrey Atkins MP
- 1986: Sir Charles Johnston
- 1987: George Younger MP
- 1988: Dame Shelagh Roberts MEP
- 1989: The Viscount Whitelaw of Penrith
- 1994-1995: Sir William Royden Stuttaford KBE
- 2013: Charles Heslop OBE
- 2014: Robert Semple CBE
- 2015: Steve Bell OBE
- 2016: Gerry Yates
Notes
- 1 2 "Party Structure and Organisation". Conservative Party. Retrieved 2016-11-16.
- ↑ Conservative and Unionist Central Office v. James Robert Samuel Burrell (HM Inspector of Taxes) [1981] EWCA Civ 2 (10 December 1981)
- ↑ BEMROSE, Sir Max (John Maxwell) in Who Was Who 1897-2007, retrieved 5 June 2008, from BEMROSE, Sir Max (John Maxwell)
- Unless otherwise stated, details of Chairmen and Presidents of the NUCUA are taken from British Political Facts 1900-1994 by David Butler and Gareth Butler.
- Conservative Conference Guide, 1989 (Eyre & Spottiswoode)