Introduction

The obituary of David Cameron's political career will inevitably focus on his decision to hold a referendum on the UK's membership of the EU. After the referendum in June 2016 and the vote to leave, Cameron resigned. The aftermath of the Brexit vote and the ongoing political disruption will be the subject of debate and analysis for the foreseeable future. This chapter will not be exploring these issues; instead, it will focus on Cameron's domestic policies in the period 2010–16. The most significant of these policies was austerity. ‘Austerity’ is the name given to the combination of the reduction in public services and welfare retrenchment that was followed by the Coalition government from 2010 onwards. Austerity and its impact are discussed in depth in the following. In the area of domestic politics, one of the most significant events was the riots of 2011, which are examined later. The chapter begins with a discussion of Cameron's key political idea: the Big Society. This encapsulates Cameron's attempts to reduce the role of the state while, at the same time, reinvigorating community groups. It can be read as a combination of modernising tendencies and nostalgic notions of community and civic involvement. One of the key issues in the Brexit referendum was immigration. Cameron, alongside his Home Secretary and successor, Theresa May, had responded to the issue of immigration by creating a ‘hostile environment’ for illegal immigrants. When he was elected Conservative leader in 2005, he presented himself as a reforming moderniser, being socially liberal but economically conservative. There is clearly a tension between these two poles. In the areas of welfare and penal policy, particularly in response to the 2011 riots, Cameron tacked to the right.

The Big Society