Da v i d Wi l l i am Do n a l dCameron (born 9 October 1966)is the current Prime Minister ofthe United Kingdom, First Lordof the Treasury, and Leader ofthe Conservative Party. He is theMember of Parliament (MP) forWitney.
Cameron studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Oxford,gaining a first class honours degree. He then joined the ConservativeResearch Department and became Special Adviser to Norman Lamont, andthen to Michael Howard. He was Director of Corporate Affairs at CarltonCommunications for seven years.
A first candidacy for Parliament at Stafford in 1997 ended in defeat,but Cameron was elected in 2001 as the Member of Parliament for theOxford shire constituency of Witney. He was promoted to the Oppositionfront bench two years later, and rose rapidly to become head of policy coordinationduring the 2005 general election campaign. With a public imageof a young, moderate candidate who would appeal to young voters, he wonthe Conservative leadership election in 2005.
In the 2010 general election held on 6 May, the Conservatives gaineda plurality of seats ina hung parliament andCameron was appointedPrime Minister on 11May 2010, at the head ofa coalition between theConservatives and theLiberal Democrats. Atthe age of 43, Cameronbecame the youngest British Prime Minister since the Earl of Liverpool 198years earlier.
On 11 May 2010, following the resignation of Gordon Brown asPrime Minister and on his recommendation, Queen Elizabeth II invitedCameron to form a government. In his first address outside 10 DowningStreet, he announced his intention to form a coalition government, thefirst since the Second World War, with the Liberal Democrats. Cameronoutlined how he intended to “put aside party differences and work hard forthe common good and for the national interest.” As one of his first moves,Cameron appointed Nick Clegg, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, asDeputy Prime Minister on 11 May 2010.
