1975 Conservative Party (UK) leadership election 1975 Conservative Party (UK) leadership election The 1975 Conservative Party leadership election was held in February 1975, in which the party's sitting MPs voted Margaret Thatcher as party leader on the second ballot. Previous leader Edward Heath stood aside after the first ballot, in which he unexpectedly finished behind Thatcher. The Conservatives were the official Opposition to the Labour government, so Thatcher also became Leader of the Opposition. Edward Heath, leader of the Conservative Party and Prime Minister had called and unexpectedly lost the February 1974 general election. Although the Labour Party were able only to form a minority government,
Next Conservative Party (UK) leadership election Next Conservative Party (UK) leadership election The next Conservative Party leadership election has not yet been launched, but the current leader and Prime Minister, Theresa May, has indicated she would most likely not seek to lead the party into another general election in 2022. These comments were in reaction to a no confidence vote by the party in her leadership that was triggered on 11 December 2018, following the receipt of 48 letters from Conservative MPs calling for one. A leadership election would have been called had May lost the vote, but she won with 200 against and 117 for.