General election: Who are the Conservatives and what are their policies? (2024)

The most successful political party in British history, the Conservatives are seeking to break another record on 4 July by securing a fifth election win in a row.

Headed up by Rishi Sunak, they will be defending a majority secured by Boris Johnson in 2019 and hoping to improve on it across the country.

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Things are looking bleak for the current prime minister and his team at the moment, with poll after poll predicting a total wipeout for the Tories after the public cast their votes at the ballot box.

But Mr Sunak has pledged to fight on, hoping a six-week campaign can turn his fortunes around.

What are the party's policies?

The headline pledges in the Conservatives' manifesto, announced on Tuesday 11 June, include:

• Halving immigration: including a "binding, legal cap" on work and family visas and stopping small boat crossings with the Rwanda scheme
• A £17.2bn package of tax cuts: such as a further 2p reduction in national insurance (NI), and cutting it for the self-employed
• The so-called "triple lock plus" for pensioners: creating a new "age-related" tax-free allowance
• Creating a new form of national service: which will see 18-year-olds either join the military for a year or do a set number of weekends volunteering or working for a civil service, such as fire or the police
• Replacing "rip off" degrees: with 100,000 new apprenticeships a year.

On the campaign trail, Mr Sunak has also continued to focus on his Rwanda immigration plan - which aims to deter people from making the dangerous journey across the Channel by deporting new arrivals to the African country - and his promise to lower taxes.

Who are the key figures?

Mr Sunak is the face of this election when it comes to the Conservatives.

An MP since 2015, the former investment banker has risen through the ranks at speed, serving as chancellor throughout COVID before getting the keys to Number 10.

He has a raft of cabinet ministers going out to bat for him and the party, such as Home Secretary James Cleverly, Defence Secretary Grant Shapps and Health Secretary Victoria Atkins.

But the party is full of famous faces - from ex-prime ministers like Boris Johnson and Liz Truss, through to media personalities like Jacob Rees-Mogg and Nadine Dorries - with many of them household names.

The Tories boast a rich history of well-known figures too, from Sir Robert Peel and Benjamin Disraeli in the 1800s, through to perhaps the most famous Conservatives of them all, Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher.

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Where did the party come from?

The Conservative Party was first formed in 1834 from what was the Tory Party (hence the nickname) and dominated the 19th century, along with their rivals in the Liberal Party.

But since the Labour Party was formed in the 1920s, it has been the two parties at loggerheads over the despatch box in the Commons - with the Tories holding power for 65 years of the 20th century.

The Conservatives have gone through a number of phases in that time, from free market worshippers to hugging a hoodie, and the latest incarnation seems to be deeply involved in the so-called "culture wars".

But some tenets have always held true - namely the party's regular calls for lower taxes and a smaller state.

How have they fared in the polls?

Despite their dominance over the past 100 years, the current opinion polls on the Conservatives make tough reading for the leadership and candidates.

You can follow the latest from Sky News' poll tracker, which averages out the range of polls available, by clicking here.

But in recent weeks, Labour have continuously been 20 points or more ahead - with an exclusive YouGov poll for Sky News predicting the Tories will haemorrhage 232 seats, which would leave just 140 of their MPs in the Commons.

However, Mr Sunak fared better in a snap YouGov survey after the first leaders' debate on Tuesday 4 June, with the respondents to their poll saying the prime minister came out on top against Sir Keir Starmer, 51% to 49%.

The news wasn't so good for Mr Sunak after the Sky News election leaders' special from Grimsby on 12 June - which a snap poll found Sir Keir comfortably won.

But as the Conservative Party repeats regularly, the only poll that really matters will be the one on election day.