Conservative Party (UK)

In 1681 Lord Shaftesbury organised petitions throughout England to forbid King Charles II's Catholic brother, James, The Duke of York, from being the next king. The petitioners were called the “Whigs,” whilst their opponents who supported James, were known as “Tories.”

At the time, "Tory" was a term of abuse used by the supporters of the Whig Party to describe their political opponents. The origin of the word "Tory" is uncertain, but it is thought to have come from the Irish word "tóraí" which means "outlaw" or "bandit," or from the Gaelic word "tóraidhe" which means "pursuer" or "chaser." 

The Conservative party was founded in 1834 by Robert Peel out of the old Tory Party. During the rest of the century the party was one of the two main political parties along with the Liberal Party.

Under the leadership of Benjamin Disraeli, the party created a philosophy which supported the British Empire, the Church of England, the monarchy and social reforms.

The Conservative party held their first annual party conference on November 12, 1867 in a London pub, the Freemasons in Great Queen Street.

In 1912, the Conservative Party formally joined with the Liberal Unionist Party to create the modern-day Conservative and Unionist Party, however this is usually shortened to Conservative Party.

Usually, support for the party comes from the south of England, Eastern England and rural areas. Party support is not very strong in the north of England, Scotland or Wales.

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