Dimensions
129 x 198 x 33mm
In 2005, David ('Dave') Cameron emerged as the first Tory leader in years to come across as a man of the people -- an ordinary bloke in a traditionally reviled political position. But spin-doctoring aside, not a great deal is known about his background, his family life or his gradual rise through the ranks of the Party.
The son of a prosperous and disabled stockbroker father and a magistrate mother, and a descendant of King Henry VII, Cameron excelled at Eton and was voted most likely among his classmates to become Prime Minister. At Oxford he 'played a lot of pool and ate a lot of kebabs', but loved politics and worked extremely hard to achieve a high first. It was clear by then that he was headed for Westminster, and indeed a former colleague at the Conservative Research Department, which Cameron joined after graduation, referred to him as 'a young man in a hurry', a reputation cemented by his rapid rise to the head of the political department and the favour of John Major.
Cameron also worked very closely with Norman Lamont and Michael Howard, and has been an MP since 2001. In 2005 he was asked by Howard to write the Tory manifesto, which was widely considered the most right-wing in post-war history. Months later, at the age of 39, he secured leadership of the Party.
Following Cameron through a turbulent first year of leadership, to a victory, of sorts, in the General Election of May 2010, Hanning and Elliott look at the man behind the spin. Cameron now faces leading the country through one of the most testing financial climates it has ever seen, while navigating the precarious position of leader of an uneasy coalition. It remains to be seen what successes the future will hold.
