The office of Treasurer of the Conservative Party was established in 1911, along with that of Chairman, as part of a wider reorganisation of the Conservative and Unionist Party's machinery following the party's failure to win the general elections of January and December 1910.Thevoz (2016), p. 4.
The officeholders are responsible for fundraising, and in recent years, have sat on the Conservative Party Board.
List This is a list of treasurers of the Conservative Party.Thevoz (2016), pp. 24-25.
NameFromToDeputyNotesThe Lord Farquhar19111923 Created Viscount Farquhar in 1917, and Earl Farquhar in 1922Sir George Younger19231929 Created Viscount Younger of Leckie in 1923Sir Samuel Hoare MP19291931 MP (1910-44); created Viscount Templewood in 1944The Lord Ebbisham19311933 The Lord Greenwood19331938 Created Viscount Greenwood in 1937The Lord Marchwood19381946 Created Viscount Marchwood in 1945Christopher Holland-Martin19471960 Also an MP from 1951-1960; Died in officeThe Lord De L'Isle and Dudley19481952 Created Viscount De L'Isle in 1956Oliver Poole19521955 Created Baron Poole of Aldgate in 1958Sir Henry Studholme MP19561962 MP (1952-66); created a Baronet in 1956Robert Allan MP19601965 MP (1951-66); created Baron Allan of Kilmahew in 1973Richard Stanley19621965 Former MP (1950-6)The Lord Chelmer19651977 Sir Tatton Brinton MP19661974 MP (1964-74)Sir Arnold Silverstone19741977 Created Baron Ashdown in 1975; Died in officeWilliam Clark MP19741975 MP (1959-66, 1970-92); created Baron Clark of Kempston in 1992Alistair McAlpine19751990 Created Baron McAlpine of West Green in 1984The Lord Boardman19791983 Former MP (1967-74)Sir Oulton Wade19821990 Created Baron Wade of Chorlton in 1990Sir Charles Johnston19841988 Created Baron Johnston of Rockport in 1987Sir Hector Laing19881993 Created Baron Laing of Dunphail in 1991The Lord Beaverbrook19901992 Sir John Cope MP19901992 MP (1974-97); created Baron Cope of Berkeley in 1997Tim Smith MP19921994 MP (1977-9; 1982-97); Resigned as Treasurer during the 1994 Cash-for-questions affairPhilip Harris19931997 Created Baron Harris of Peckham in 1995Charles Hambro19931997 Created Baron Hambro in 1994Sir Graham Kirkham19971998 Created Baron Kirkham in 1999Michael Ashcroft19982001 Created Baron Ashcroft in 2000Howard Leigh20002005 Created Baron Leigh of Hurley in 2013Sir Stanley Kalms20012003 Created Baron Kalms in 2004George Magan20032007 Created Baron Magan in 2011Jonathan Marland20032007 Created Baron Marland in 2006Michael Spencer20072010 Nominated for a peerage in 2013, 2015 and 2016, but blocked on each occasion by the House of Lords Appointments Commission Created Baron Spencer at the fourth attempt in 2020Richard Harrington20082010 MP (2010-9); created Baron Harrington in 2022Stanley Fink20092013 Created Baron Fink in 2011Catherine Meyer20102015 Created Baroness Meyer in 2018Peter Cruddas20112012 Created Baron Cruddas in 2020. Had resigned as Treasurer in 2012 over a "cash for access" scandal; successfully sued the Sunday Times over their allegations in 2013, but in 2015 the Court of Appeal reduces the libel damages awarded earlier from £180,000 to £50,000, after they found the central "cash for access" allegation of the Sunday Times to be borne out by the facts, while other parts of their article were still deemed to be false and defamatory Cruddas' nomination to the Lords had been opposed by the House of Lords Appointments Commission, who cited the Court of Appeal's ruling; however, Prime Minister Boris Johnson became the first Prime Minister to disregard a veto from the vetting body, and announced Cruddas's peerage all the same.Letter from the Prime Minister to Lord Bew, 21 December 2020 Michael Farmer20112015 Created Baron Farmer in 2014James Lupton20132016 Created Baron Lupton in 2015Andrew Fraser2016 2018Jane KeeneCreated Baron Fraser of Corriegarth in 2016Sir Mick Davis2016 2019Mike Chattey OBE Declined a peerage in 2019Aamer Sarfraz2019 2020Jane KeeneCreated Baron Sarfraz in 2019Sir Ehud Sheleg20192021 Knighted in 2019Malik Karim20212022 Graham Edwards2022present
References
Further reading David Butler and Gareth Butler, Twentieth Century British Political Facts 1900–2000 (Macmillan, 2000) p. 137 Seth Alexander Thévoz, "Every Treasurer of the Party Has Gone to the Lords, and I Hope I Don't Set a Precedent by Being the First Who Doesn't": Conservative Party Treasurers and Peerages, 1986-2016 (Oxford: Gwilym Gibbon Centre for Public Policy, Nuffield College, Oxford University, September 2016)