The Parliamentary Conservative Party : the leadership elections of William Hague and Iain Duncan Smith
The aim of this research is to investigate the post1997 Parliamentary Conservative Party, with 
particular attention placed upon the Conservative Party leadership election of 1997 and 2001. 
The thesis uses these two leadership elections as a lens which can be utilised to focus upon and 
analyse the ideological disputations of contemporary British Conservatism. This is done by 
identifying the voting behaviour of Conservative parliamentarians in the two leadership elections 
and then by putting forwards a systemic explanation of the candidates’ support. Three sets of 
variables are tested. First, the thesis analyses socio-economic variables (i.e. the occupational and 
educational background of conservative parliamentarians). Second, the research considers the 
candidates’ support in relation to electoral and political variables (i.e. electoral vulnerability, 
political insider / outsider status, age and experience). Finally the research will evaluate the 
candidates’ support with regard to the ideological disposition of the candidates and their 
supporters. This requires an extensive exploration of the attitudes of Conservative 
parliamentarians with regard to the dominant ideological divides within contemporary post- 
Thatcherite Conservatism – economic policy (wet / dry), European policy (europhile / 
eurosceptic), and social, sexual and moral attitudes (social liberalism / social conservatism). By 
analysing the patterns of voting in relation to social background, political attributes and 
ideological disposition the thesis locates and interprets the differing motivational influences on 
voting behaviour. 
The thesis argues the ideological disposition of the candidates and their supporters was the 
crucial factor in both the leadership elections. The final round of the 1997 leadership election 
was a straight ideological battle between the europhile and eurosceptic wings of the 
parliamentary Conservative Party. This benefited the eurosceptic William Hague at the expense 
of the europhile Kenneth Clarke. In 2001 both Clarke and Portillo attracted support from across 
the ideological spectrum of the parliamentary party, suggesting that a section of the 
parliamentary party had moved away from ideologically driven voting behaviour. However, Iain 
Duncan Smith reaching the final ballot was due to the support of an ideologically cohesive group 
of traditional Thatcherite MPs and indicative of the continued significance of ideology on the 
direction of the Conservative party.
The Conservative Party since 1945
Leaders and leadership the parliamentary party the party organization home affairs - governments, policies and elections external affairs - from empire to Europe conservatism, the state and society. Appendices: leaders and leadership elections party chairmen and chief whips general elections and European elections.
United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982, A Commentary
Volume VI is the sixth substantive volume to be published in the series. It deals with the work of the First Committee at the Third UN Conference on the Law of the Sea, namely the international seabed area. The volume thus embraces the deep seabed mining regime set out in Part XI of the 1982 Convention on the Law of the Sea together with the 1994 Agreement on its implementation. Completion of this commentary was delayed first by the consultations and negotiations that commenced in 1990 and led to the 1994 Agreement and the entry into force of the Convention. It was further delayed until the Assembly of the International Seabed Authority approved the detailed mining regulations in 2000. Additional supplementary material can be found at UNCLOS 1982 Commentary: Supplementary Documents.