Introduction

Abstract

In 2010, the British Conservative Party returned to government after thirteen years in opposition as by far the larger party in a governing Parliamentary majority made up of themselves and the Liberal Democrats. As they had long regarded themselves as the natural party of government, the Conservatives’ extended period in the political wilderness following their crushing defeat in the 1997 general election was a traumatic experience. But the unusually inexperienced group of ministers (by Tory standards) who took office in 2010 could at least comfort themselves with the knowledge that the government was likely to be judged on the issue that many Conservatives have traditionally regarded as the party’s main area of expertise: the economy.