David Cameron Facts & Worksheets

David Cameron, whose full name is David William Donald Cameron, was born in London, England, on October 9, 1966. He served as the Conservative Party’s leader and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2016. From 2005 to 2010, he led the opposition while also representing the Witney constituency as a member of parliament from 2001 to 2016.

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Key Facts & Information

EARLY LIFE

• Cameron was born into a wealthy and aristocratic family (his grandfather was a cousin of King William IV). He graduated from Eton and Brasenose College, Oxford, in 1988 with degrees in philosophy, politics, and economics. After Oxford, he joined the Conservative Party’s Research Department. 
• He became special advisor to then-chancellor Norman Lamont in 1992 and then-home secretary Michael Howard in 1993. Cameron became business relations director at the media company Carlton Communications in 1994. He worked at Carlton until 2001 when he was elected M.P. for Witney, north of London.
• Cameron’s youth, moderation, and charisma made him a new Conservative generation leader. After joining Parliament 18 years earlier, he was often likened to Tony Blair. After two years as an MP, Cameron became a renowned Conservative “front bench” spokesman. Howard appointed Cameron head of policy coordination in 2004, giving him leadership of the Conservative’s 2005 election manifesto. Howard left when the party fell significantly in the polls. His confident presentation at the Conservative annual conference in October 2005 voted Cameron leader.

REVITALIZATION OF THE CONSERVATIVES

• David Cameron declared that the future Conservative administration would prioritize economic stability and robust public services over tax reduction. The Conservatives won their best local election in 15 years under his leadership in 2006.
• The Conservatives decline in the polls after Gordon Brown’s 2007 election as Labour leader and prime minister prompted Cameron to call a quick election. Labour had a double-digit lead over the Conservatives at September’s party conference. Cameron made an excellent hour-long speech without a script at the Conservative Party conference in early October. 
• Cameron strengthened the Conservatives throughout the 2008 global economic crisis. Brown was praised outside Britain for his crisis response, but his 1997 promise that economic “boom and bust” were over and a 2008 Labour ministerial mutiny aided Cameron. Cameron’s promise to split the Conservatives from the mainstream conservative EPP was achieved in March 2009. 
• The Daily Telegraph claimed in May 2009 that M.P.s misused the Additional Costs Allowance, which covers second-home costs. Cameron said people had a “right to be angry.” The controversy came from all parties, but Labour was most blamed. Cameron and the Conservatives were well-positioned for the May 6, 2010, general election despite a drop in early 2009 polling.

PRIME MINISTERSHIP OF DAVID CAMERON

• On May 11, 2010, David Cameron became the United Kingdom’s Prime Minister after accepting Queen Elizabeth II’s invitation to form a government and succeeding Gordon Brown of the Labour Party. 
• His term as Prime Minister lasted until July 13, 2016, when he resigned in the wake of the 2016 referendum that favored Brexit, an outcome he had opposed. Cameron was not just prime minister but also minister for the civil service and head of the Conservative Party during his time in office.
• Due to the lack of an overall majority in the House of Commons for the first time since the February 1974 general election, David Cameron formed a coalition government between the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats after the 2010 general election.
• Appointing Nick Clegg, leader of the Liberal Democrats, as his deputy prime minister was one of his first acts as prime minister. 
• There were 363 seats up for grabs in the House of Commons, with the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats holding a comfortable majority of 76. Cameron was re-elected prime minister in the 2015 election, but this time he was leading a Conservative majority administration with a 12-seat parliamentary majority.
• The lasting impacts of the financial crisis of the late 2000s were a defining feature of Cameron’s administration. These included a massive deficit in government finances, which the government attempted to alleviate through austerity measures. 
• Significant reforms to healthcare and welfare were enacted under his presidency, including the Health and Social Care Act and the Welfare Reform Act.
• It also handled the 2012 London Olympics and implemented harsher immigration policies, among other achievements. The Royal Mail and other public assets were privatized, and same-sex marriage was legal in England and Wales.
• Cameron’s administration authorized the international bombing of the Islamic State and intervened militarily in the First Libyan Civil War. The voting reform referendum and the Scottish independence referendum, which his administration controlled, went in the direction Cameron hoped for. 
• After the Conservatives unexpectedly won the general election in 2015, he continued to serve as prime minister, but this time with a cabinet composed entirely of Conservative lawmakers. He instituted a referendum on the United Kingdom’s continued membership in the European Union to make good on a campaign promise. 
• Cameron favored remaining a member; once the Leave campaign was successful, he resigned as prime minister and was replaced by Theresa May, his home secretary.
• David Cameron finished his six-year tenure as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom on July 13, 2016, when he handed Queen Elizabeth his resignation letter. With it, he left a legacy eternally overshadowed by the June 23 decision for Britain to exit the European Union. While in office, Cameron made several significant modifications and consequential mistakes.

• Hug A Hoodie

Incoming Prime Minister Theresa May acknowledged that the Conservative Party was labeled the “nasty party” in 2006 because of its policies of privatizing public services, reducing social spending, and being socially conservative. David Cameron had helped the Conservative Party gain a more sympathetic reputation. The process began with his ‘Hug a Hoodie’ speech from 2006, in which he advocated a softer approach to dealing with juvenile offenders than is typical among Conservatives. The Conservative Party’s strategy shift in 2010 helped them defeat Labour and take power for the first time in 13 years. Cameron stated at the 2012 Conservative Party conference that he would work to prove that the party welcomed people of all backgrounds. 

• Same-Sex Marriage Bill

Religious organizations and most Conservative MPPs opposed Cameron’s same-sex marriage legislation. Cameron stated in 2011: “I don’t support gay marriage despite being a Conservative. I support gay marriage as a Conservative.” The 2013 Marriage (Same-Sex Couples) Act took effect in 2014. Cameron declared in his retirement address on June 24 that “enabling those who love each other to get married whatever their sexuality” was his most outstanding achievement.

• Britain’s Libya Intervention

Britain joined NATO’s 2011 alliance against Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. After Gaddafi’s demise in October 2011, Cameron and allies did nothing to fill the hole. 

Libya has been in civil strife since, and Obama blamed Cameron. Obama told The Atlantic that Cameron was “distracted by a range of other things” rather than “invested” in restoring Libya.

• 2014 Scotland Referendum
  Cameron has led a cross-party coalition and a star-studded cast, including J.K. Rowling and President Obama, to keep Scotland in the U.K. Cameron, who had been criticized for failing to make an “emotional case for the U.K.,” made one final try in Aberdeen, Scotland, two days before the Scottish election on September 15, 2014, stating, “If you don’t like me, I won’t be here forever.” This dictatorship can be overthrown if it is so unpopular. It’s final if you leave the U.K. His wager was rewarded.

• Reviving the Economy

Cameron is credited for recovering the British economy following the 2008 global financial crisis. The Bank of England maintained a liberal monetary policy as Cameron and Treasury Minister George Osbourne trimmed expenditure, reducing Britain’s budget deficit from 2009 with 10.8% of GDP to 2015 with 4.4%. Cameron supporters say he produced 2 million private sector jobs to counter public sector losses. Cameron told the BBC in 2015, “Over the last five years, we’ve created a thousand jobs a day, and we commit to continuing that record because we’re going to continue supporting business and industry.” Critics argue that many of these positions needed to be more stable and low-paying, and government expenditure cuts impacted needy people.

• E.U. Referendum

Cameron’s worst failure was the U.K.’s vote to leave the E.U. It was time for the British people to have their say on whether or not to alter Britain’s relationship with the E.U. through an in/out referendum, as promised by Cameron in 2013. This European conundrum had to be handled in British politics. Cameron said in 2013, “I say to the British people: this will be your decision.” Cameron fought to retain Britain as a member of the European Union but was unsuccessful.

David Cameron Worksheets

This fantastic bundle includes everything you need to know about David Cameron across 24 in-depth pages. These ready-to-use worksheets are perfect for teaching kids about David Cameron. David Cameron served as the Conservative Party’s leader and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2016. From 2005 to 2010, he led the opposition while also representing the Witney constituency as a member of parliament from 2001 to 2016.

Complete List of Included Worksheets

Below is a list of all the worksheets included in this document.

1. David Cameron Facts
2. A Great Leader
3. Early Life
4. Prime Ministership
5. Youngest PM
6. Terms To Remember
7. A Quote From Him
8. Interview
9. The People Speak
10. If I Were…
11. Love Has No Gender

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is David Cameron?

David Cameron is a British politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2016. He is a member of the Conservative Party.

What are some key policies and initiatives associated with David Cameron’s tenure as Prime Minister?

David Cameron’s time as Prime Minister was marked by several notable policies and initiatives, including austerity measures to reduce government spending, the introduction of the Big Society concept, and a referendum on the United Kingdom’s membership in the European Union (Brexit).

How did David Cameron become the leader of the Conservative Party?

David Cameron became the leader of the Conservative Party in 2005. He won the leadership election, defeating his rivals David Davis and Liam Fox. This paved the way for his eventual ascension to the position of Prime Minister in 2010.

What was the outcome of the 2016 EU referendum, which David Cameron called for?

In the 2016 European Union (EU) referendum, the United Kingdom voted to leave the EU, a result often referred to as “Brexit.” This outcome was a significant turning point in British politics and led to David Cameron’s resignation as Prime Minister.

What is David Cameron’s political career after leaving office?

After resigning as Prime Minister following the Brexit referendum, David Cameron retired from active politics and focused on writing his memoirs. He also became involved in philanthropic activities and joined various boards and organizations. His political career effectively came to an end, and he did not seek re-election to the House of Commons.

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