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David Cameron

Cameron's rise to power was surefooted and controlled, but his political downfall has been swift and crushing. His textbook and meteoric rise to fame was doomed by two things: his image as a 'toff' and his inability to heal the great divide in his party over Britain's membership of the European Union. The party had been split ever since the signing — by former Conservative Prime Minister John Major — of the Maastricht Treaty, which brought into being the EU as it is today — moving it from purely being a trading zone and making it more a political union.

Cameron failed for too long to see the importance of the rise of ant-EU party UKIP and support for Britain leaving the EU rising among Conservative grassroots. He even referred to them as "swivel-eyed loons", which caused anger among euroskeptiks within his own party. Finally, he was forced to concede and announced — ahead of the 2015 election — that he would hold an In-Out referendum of Britain's membership of the EU by the end of 2017. In February 2016, Cameron attempted to renegotiate the UK's membership of the EU in an attempt to get a deal that would convince doubters to remain in a "reformed EU".

Britain made a historic decision 23 June 2016 to leave the European Union in a referendum that stoked passions on issues of immigration and sovereignty, and prompted the resignation of Prime Minister David Cameron. “The British people have made a very clear decision to take a different path and as such I think the country requires fresh leadership to take it in this direction,” Cameron told reporters outside 10 Downing Street. Cameron said that transition should happen in October.

British Prime Minister David Cameron said he will officially resign on 13 July 2016, allowing Interior Minister Theresa May to become the country's next leader. "She is strong, she is competent, she is more than able to provide the leadership that our country is going to need in the years ahead and she will have my full support," Cameron said in comments to reporters. Cameron said that he would attend the House of Commons for prime minister's questions. "After that I expect to go to the Palace and offer my resignation, so we will have a new prime minister in that building behind me by Wednesday evening," he said.

Political jockeying began in Britain after the tight but inconclusive general election on May 06, 2010, with no party winning an outright parliamentary majority. The Conservative Party secured the most parliamentary seats, the incumbent Labor Party came in second and both are now reaching out to the third party, the Liberal Democrats to form a possible governing coalition. With no party winning a parliamentary majority, the sitting prime minister gets the first chance to try to put together a government.

Gordon Brown made an offer to the Liberal Democrats to talk his Labor Party about a coalition, saying a future stable government was crucial. Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg said he thought the Conservatives should be allowed to try to form a government. "Which ever party gets the most votes and the most seats, if not an absolute majority, has the first right to seek to govern either on its own or by reaching out to other parties," Clegg explained.

On 12 May 2010 Conservative leader David Cameron became Britain's youngest prime minister in almost 200 years, and ended 13 years of Labour rule. Cameron said that he intended to form a "proper and full coalition" with the centre-left Liberal Democrats after his centre-right party failed to win an overall parliamentary majority at the general election. He said that he and Lib Dem leader wanted to work for the "common good and national interest" and to build a more responsible society in Britain.

In May 2010 Nick Clegg became Deputy Prime Minister and Lord President of the Council in the coalition government. He worked as a business consultant and part-time university lecturer before his election as MP for Sheffield Hallam in 2005. In Parliament, Nick served as the Liberal Democrat Spokesperson on Europe (2005-6), Shadow Home Secretary (2006-7) before becoming Leader in 2007. It is not the normal political arrangement in Britain. But an inconclusive election outcome last week led to days of tough negotiations and a coalition government - the first in 65 years.

Cameron was confirmed as prime minister after Gordon Brown tendered his resignation to the British monarch and also announced that he would be stepping down as Labour leader. At the age of 43, he became Britain's youngest prime minister since the Earl of Liverpool in 1812 and the Conservative's first since 1997. One of Cameron's first decisions was to confirm the appointment of George Osborne as Chancellor of the Exchequer and William Hague, a former leader of the party, as foreign secretary.

Just a week earlier the two men were bitter rivals and their two parties do have major policy differences, but that should not keep them from governing. There is no reason why it should not work, both parties have a lot invested in it now, they have set up the agreements and they do not want it to be seen to fall to bits. Both parties agree that change is needed, but they have differences on issues, such as taxation, ties to the European Union, defense spending, and electoral reform.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said 11 December 2011 on British television that he was “bitterly disappointed” by the outcome of last week’s EU summit, during which Mr. Cameron rejected the treaty changes. Despite coalition differences, Clegg sought to calm speculation that Mr. Cameron’s veto could lead to a collapse of the coalition government. He said such a breakup would be a “disaster” far worse than the prime minister’s rejection of treaty changes.

David Cameron was born 9 October 1966, and raised in Berkshire. Cameron's rise to power was surefooted and controlled, but his political downfall has been swift and crushing. Having enjoyed a childhood within a relatively wealthy family — his father was a stockbroker - Cameron was educated at Eton College before studying Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Oxford, gaining a first class honours degree. There he met the future mayor of London Boris Johnson. They were both in the posh Bullingdon club, whose wealthy members enjoyed lavish and boisterous dinners.

Cameron then worked his way up the political ladder, doing work in the Conservative Research Department, later becoming Special Adviser to the Chancellor of the Exchequer and then to the Home Secretary. In all these roles, Cameron rubbed shoulders with to top echelons of the Conservative Party. Afterwards he spent seven years at UK media company, Carlton Communications, and served on the management Board. He won a seat in parliament at the 2001 election, retaining it in 2005, but his party failed to win enough to oust Labour. Backed by Boris Johnson and Shadow Chancellor George Osborne, Cameron won and became leader of the Conservatives in December 2005. Prior to becoming Prime Minister, David Cameron was elected Leader of the Conservative Party in December 2005 on a mandate to change and modernise his Party. During his time as Leader of the Opposition he promoted social justice and social action; advanced the green agenda; set protecting the NHS as a top priority; and was proud to see a significant increase in the number of women and ethnic minority candidates standing for the Conservative Party.

As a Member of Parliament, David Cameron held a number of positions on the Opposition Front Bench prior to becoming Party Leader. After the 2005 General Election, he was appointed Shadow Secretary of State for Education and Skills. He had previously held the positions of Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Commons (2003), Front Bench Spokesman for Local Government Finance (2004), and Head of Policy Co-ordination in the run-up to the General Election of May 2005. He was also a member of the influential House of Commons Home Affairs Select Committee between 2001 and 2003.

He took the party into the 2010 general election where — after a fall in Labour — he negotiated a coalition deal with the Liberal Democrats. His political worth jumped when he won the 2015 election, albeit with a small majority.

Mr Cameron's family has always been the starting point of everything he has wanted to achieve in politics. He is proud of the values that were instilled in him when he was young. Today, as a father, he knows how important quality family time is, and has made shared parental leave a priority. David, his wife Samantha, and their three young children, Nancy, Elwen, and Florence, live in London and West Oxfordshire, where he has been MP for Witney since 2001. Very sadly their much loved eldest child, Ivan, six, who suffered from cerebral palsy and severe epilepsy, died in February 2009.