British conservatism refers to a political and philosophical tradition in the United Kingdom that emphasizes the preservation of established institutions, the rule of law, gradual societal change, traditionalism British Unionism,David Dutton, "Unionist Politics and the aftermath of the General Election of 1906: A Reassessment." Historical Journal 22#4 (1979): 861–76. loyalism, euroscepticism, a free market economy,Davies, Stephen, Margaret Thatcher and the Rebirth of Conservatism, Ashbrook Center for Public Affairs, July 1993 individualismBale, Tim (2011). The Conservative Party: From Thatcher to Cameron. p. 145. and a strong belief in personal responsibility.
Along with liberalism and socialism, it is one of the major political ideologies in the UK.
Entries on the list must have achieved notability after the writing of Reflections on the Revolution in France which is often seen as the starting point of conservatism.
People Intellectuals, philosophers and historians
NameLifetimeNotabilityRef.Edmund Burke1729–1797Philosopher and statesman, generally understood as part of a liberal tradition, but sometimes associated with a 20th-century movement called modern conservatismAndrew Heywood, Political Ideologies: An Introduction. Third Edition. (Palgrave Macmillan, 2003), p. 74.F. P. Lock, Edmund Burke. Volume II: 1784–1797 (Clarendon Press, 2006), p. 585.Thomas Carlyle1795–1881Scottish essayist, historian, and philosopherPhilosophy of Thomas CarlyleHenry Sidgwick1838–1900Philosopher and economist The Ordinary Experience of Civilized Life: Sidgwick's Politics and the Method of Reflective Analysis, in Essays on Henry Sidgwick, ed. by Bart Schultz (Cambridge, 1992), pp. 333–67, at pp. 349–52George Saintsbury1845–1933Literary criticMallett, Phillip. "Dorothy Richardson Jones, 'King of Critics': George Saintsbury, 1845–1933, Critic, Journalist, Historian, Professor." Nineteenth-Century Prose, vol. 21, no. 1, spring 1994, pp. 119 F. J. C. Hearnshaw1869–1946British historianSoffer, Reba N.(2009). History, Historians, and Conservatism in Britain and America: From the Great War to Thatcher and Reagan pg. 52–53 C. H. Douglas1879–1952British engineer, economist, and historian Nirad C. Chaudhuri1897–1999British Indian memoirist and cultural criticFriedrich Hayek1899–1992Political philosopher and economistKeith Feiling1884-1977British historianSoffer, Reba N.(2009). History, Historians, and Conservatism in Britain and America: From the Great War to Thatcher and Reagan Pg. 86–109Christopher Dawson1889–1970Catholic historian and independent scholarCarter, Stephen G. (2006) Historian of the spirit: an introduction to the life and ideas of Christopher H. Dawson, 1889–1970, Durham theses, Durham University. Page 10Herbert Butterfield1900–1979British historian and philosopherSoffer, Reba N.(2009). History, Historians, and Conservatism in Britain and America: From the Great War to Thatcher and Reagan ch. 6, pg. 179Michael Joseph Oakeshott1901–1990Philosopher and political theoristMark Garnett (ed.), Conservative Moments: Reading Conservative Texts, Bloomsbury Academic, 2018, ch. 9.Lord David Cecil1902–1986British historian and biographer Maurice Cranston1920–1993Philosopher and political scientistSeldon, Arthur. The virtues of capitalism. Liberty Fund, 2004, (p. 415).Maurice Cowling1926–2005British historianAntony Flew1923–2010PhilosopherAnthony Quinton1925–2010 Political and moral philosopher, writer, and metaphysicianRenford Bambrough1926–1999PhilosopherPaul Johnson1928–2023British historianNorman Stone1941–2019British historian and authorRoger Scruton1944–2020Philosopher, writer, and social criticAnthony O'Hear1942 – PhilosopherStephen R. L. Clark1945 –PhilosopherJohn Gray1948 –PhilosopherTheodore Dalrymple1949 –Psychiatrist and culture criticRobert Tombs1949 –British-French historian Iain McGilchrist1953 –Psychiatrist and philosopherAndrew Roberts1963 –British HistorianNiall Ferguson1964 –Scottish–American historianPhillip Blond1968 –Philosopher
Politicians and office holders
NameLifetimeNotabilityRef.Prime Minister Robert Peel1788–1850Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1834 to 1835 and later from 1841 to 1846Clark, Peel and the Conservatives: A Study in Party Politics 1832–1841, 196–97, 199; Read, Peel and the Victorians, 66–67.Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli1804–1881Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1874 to 1880Hurd, Douglas and Edward Young. "Disraeli discussed by Douglas Hurd and Edward Young", The Daily Telegraph, 27 June 2013Prime Minister Winston Churchill1874–1965Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 and later from 1951 to 1955Prime Minister Edward Heath1916-2005Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1970 to 1974Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher1925–2013Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990Prime Minister John Major1943 –Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1990 to 1997Prime Minister Theresa May1956 –Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2016 to 2019Prime Minister Boris Johnson1964 –Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2019 to 2022Prime Minister David Cameron1966 –Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2016Prime Minister Rishi Sunak1980 –Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2022 to 2024
Media personalities, journalists, broadcasters, publishers, editors, radio hosts, columnists and bloggers NameLifetimeNotabilityRef.T. E. Utley1921–1988 British journalist and writer'Obituary: Mr T. E. Utley. Defender of traditional values in politics and religion', The Times (23 June 1988), p. 16.Peregrine Worsthorne1923–2020British journalist, writer, and broadcasterDavid Pryce-Jones1936-2025British author and commentator Auberon Waugh1939–2001British journalist and novelistAndrew Neil1949 –Scottish journalist, chairman and broadcasterAndrew Neil, Full Disclosure (London: Pan, 1997), p. 32.Peter Hitchens1951 –Conservative author, broadcaster, journalist, and commentatorCharles Moore1956 –British journalist and editorAllison Pearson1960 –British columnist and authorTony Gallagher1963 –British newspaper journalist and editorPiers Morgan1965 –Broadcaster, journalist, writer, and television personalityTim Davie1967 –British media executiveJulia Hartley-Brewer1968 –British radio presenter, political journalist and newspaper columnistFraser Nelson1973 –Political journalist and editorIsabel Oakeshott1974 or 1975 –British political journalistCamilla Tominey1978 –Journalist, broadcaster and news presenterDouglas Murray1979 –Author, columnist, editor and political commentator
Painters, printmakers, fine-art photographers, visual artists and sculptors
NameLifetimeNotabilityRef.John Constable1776–1837English landscape painter in the Romantic traditionSamuel Palmer1805–1881British landscape painter, etcher and printmaker George Richmond1809–1896Painter, portraitist and member of The AncientsVaughan, 18–21, 20 quotedJohn Everett Millais1829–1896One of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite BrotherhoodWyndham Lewis1882–1957Painter, art critic and co-founder of the Vorticist movementL. S. Lowry1887–1976Mancunian painter known for his naïve artworksWalter Thomas Monnington1902–1976English Painter known for war paintingFrancis Bacon1909–1992Irish-born British figurative painterGilbert & George1942 – 1943 –Collaborative performance art duoTracey Emin1963 –English artist known for autobiographical and confessional artwork
Composers, musicians and record producers
NameLifetimeNotabilityRef.Edward Elgar1857–1934English composer best known for his orchestral works including the Enigma Variations and the Pomp and Circumstance MarchesBill Wyman1936 -Bassist of The Rolling StonesErrol Brown1943–2015British-Jamaican singer-songwriter and frontman of the soul band Hot ChocolateJimmy Page1944 –Guitarist, writer and composer of the renowned hard rock band Led ZeppelinRoger Daltrey1944 -Co-founder and lead singer of the hard rock band The WhoJohn Entwistle1944–2002Bassist of the hard rock band The WhoRod Stewart1945 –British singer-songwriter and vocalist of blues rock band FacesEric Clapton1945 –Highly influential guitarist known for his solo work as well as being a member of blues rock band The Yardbirds and psychedelic rock band CreamBryan Ferry1945 –Vocalist and principal songwriter of the art rock band Roxy MusicRoy Wood1946 –Member and co-founder of rock bands The Move, Electric Light Orchestra and WizzardSteve Winwood1948 –English blue-eyed soul singer-songwriter and member rock bands The Spencer Davis Group, Traffic and Blind FaithLynsey de Paul1948–2014English singer-songwriter and producerKenney Jones1948 –Drummer of the rock bands Small Faces and FacesRick Wakeman1949 –Keyboardist of the progressive rock band YesMike Oldfield1953 –Prominent progressive rock musicianJohn Lydon1956 –Lead vocalist of the pioneering punk rock band Sex Pistols and frontman of the experimental post-punk band Public Image LtdIan Curtis1956–1980Lead singer and lyricist of the prolific post-punk band Joy DivisionMark E. Smith1957-2018Frontman and lyricist of the pivotal experimental post-punk band The FallJon Moss1957 -Drummer of the New Romantic group Culture ClubBruce Dickinson1958 -Frontman of the influential heavy metal band Iron MaidenMorrissey1959 –Frontman and lyricist of the important indie pop band The SmithsTony Hadley1960 –Lead singer of the New Romantic group Spandau BalletGary Barlow1971 –Lead singer of the pop group Take ThatKerry Katona1980 –Original member of the pop group Atomic KittenWinston Marshall1987 – Banjoist and lead guitarist of the folk rock band Mumford & Sons
Filmmakers, screenwriters, and producers
NameLifetimeNotabilityRef.Noël Coward1899–1973Director and writer of films including In Which We ServeLaurence Olivier1907–1989Director and writer of films including Hamlet and Richard IIIDavid Lean1908-1991Director of films including The Bridge on the River Kwai, Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago and A Passage to IndiaPeter Glenville1913-1996Director of films including The Prisoner and BecketJames Clavell1921–1994Writer for films including The Fly (1958) and The Great Escape; director of films including To Sir, with LovePeter Sellers1925–1980Writer and director of films including The Running Jumping & Standing Still Film and Mr. TopazeBryan Forbes1926–2013Director and writer of films including Séance on a Wet Afternoon, King Rat and The Stepford WivesAntony Jay1930–2016Writer for shows including Yes MinisterMichael Caine1933 –Executive producer of films including The Fourth Protocol Michael Winner1935–2013Director of films including Hannibal Brooks and Death WishTerence Donovan1936–1996Photographer and director of music videosTom Stoppard1937–2025Writer of films including Brazil, Empire of the Sun and The Russia HouseJulian Fellowes1949 -Creator and writer of Downton Abbey and The Gilded AgeGary Oldman1958 –Writer and director of films including Nil by MouthMatthew Vaughn1971 –Creator, director and writer of films including Kick-Ass and the Kingsman franchise
Novelists, poets and short story writers