<Ul> <Li> Politics of the United Kingdom </Li> <Li> Political parties </Li> <Li> Elections </Li> </Ul> <Li> Politics of the United Kingdom </Li> <P> The Conservative Party, officially the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre - right political party in the United Kingdom . It is currently the governing party, having been so since the 2010 general election, where a coalition government with the Liberal Democrats was formed . In 2015, the Conservatives led by David Cameron won a surprise majority and formed the first Conservative majority government since 1992 . However, the 2017 snap election on Thursday 8 June resulted in a hung parliament, and the Conservatives lost their parliamentary majority . They are reliant on the support of a Northern Irish political party, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), in order to command a majority in the House of Commons through a confidence - and - supply deal . The party leader, Theresa May, has served as both Leader of the Conservative Party and Prime Minister since 13 July 2016 . It is the largest party in local government with 9,237 councillors . The Conservative Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United Kingdom, the other being its modern rival, the Labour Party . The Conservative Party's platform involves support for free market capitalism, free enterprise, fiscal conservatism, a strong national defence, deregulation, and restrictions on trade unions . </P> <P> The Conservative Party was founded in 1834 from the Tory Party--giving rise to the Conservatives' colloquial name of Tories--and was one of two dominant political parties in the nineteenth century, along with the Liberal Party . During the 1890s, it formed a coalition government with the Liberal Unionist Party, a break - away faction of the Liberal Party . In 1912, the two parties merged to form the current Conservative and Unionist Party . In the 1920s, the Liberal vote greatly diminished and the Labour Party became the Conservatives' main rivals . Conservative Prime Ministers led governments for 57 years of the twentieth century, including Winston Churchill (1940--45, 1951--55) and Margaret Thatcher (1979--90). Thatcher's tenure led to wide - ranging economic liberalisation . The Conservative Party's domination of British politics throughout the twentieth century has led to them being referred to as one of the most successful political parties in the Western world . </P>

What is the full name of the conservative party