The term Notting Hill set refers to an informal group of young figures who were in prominent leadership positions in the Conservative Party, or close advisory positions around the former

party leader In a governmental system, a party leader acts as the official representative of their political party, either to a legislature or to the electorate. Depending on the country, the individual colloquially referred to as the "leader" of a politica ...

and

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

David Cameron David William Donald Cameron, Baron Cameron of Chipping Norton (born 9 October 1966) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2016. Until 2015, he led the first coalition government in the UK s ...

. Several members of the group studied at

Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...

. The term was coined by

Derek Conway Derek Leslie Conway TD (born 15 February 1953) is an English politician and television presenter. A member of the Conservative Party, Conway served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for the constituency of Shrewsbury and Atcham from 1983 to 199 ...

in July 2004, before Cameron became leader. It was intended to be pejorative, as Conway was one of the 'bed blockers' preventing the party modernising. The term is in reference to all of them having lived in

Notting Hill Notting Hill is a district of West London, England, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Notting Hill is known for being a wikt:cosmopolitan, cosmopolitan and multiculturalism, multicultural neighbourhood, hosting the annual Notting ...

, in west

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

; by 2006, however, the group's two leading players, Cameron and

George Osborne George Gideon Oliver Osborne (born 23 May 1971) is a British retired politician and newspaper editor who served as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 2010 to 2016 and as First Secretary of State from 2015 to 2016 in the Cameron government. A ...

no longer lived in Notting Hill. The set is often seen as symbolic of the wing of the party that dominated the leadership during Cameron's time as leader of the Conservative Party. It combines traditional centre right economic views with socially liberal and environmentally friendly stances on other issues. The group refer to themselves as the " Smith Square set"; at the time of the 1992 General Election, they were often referred to as the "Brat Pack".

Members

The following have been reported to be its members: *

Shadow Secretary of State for Education and Skills A shadow is a dark area on a surface where light from a light source is blocked by an object. In contrast, shade occupies the three-dimensional volume behind an object with light in front of it. The cross-section of a shadow is a two-dimensional ...

(2005),

Leader of the Opposition The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the Opposition (parliamentary), largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the ...

(2005–2010) and

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister Advice (constitutional law), advises the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, sovereign on the exercise of much of the Royal prerogative ...

(2010–2016) *

Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury The shadow chief secretary to the treasury is the most junior member of the Shadow Cabinet, and is the deputy to the shadow chancellor of the exchequer. The shadow chief secretary to the treasury acts as the primary opposition to the equivalent ...

(2004–2005),

Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer The shadow chancellor of the exchequer in the British Parliamentary system is the member of the Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet (United Kingdom), Shadow Cabinet who is responsible for shadowing the Chancellor of the Exchequer, chancellor of ...

(2005–2010),

Chancellor of the Exchequer The chancellor of the exchequer, often abbreviated to chancellor, is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom, and the head of HM Treasury, His Majesty's Treasury. As one of the four Great Offices of State, t ...

(2010–2016) and

First Secretary of State First Secretary of State is an office that is sometimes held by a minister of the Crown Minister of the Crown is a formal constitutional term used in Commonwealth realms to describe a minister of the reigning sovereign or viceroy. The term ...

(2015–2016) *

Michael Gove Michael Andrew Gove, Baron Gove (; born Graeme Andrew Logan, 26 August 1967) is a British politician and journalist who served in various Cabinet of the United Kingdom, Cabinet positions under David Cameron, Theresa May, Boris Johnson and Rish ...

, Shadow Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (2007–2010),

Secretary of State for Education The secretary of state for education, also referred to as the education secretary, is a Secretary of State (United Kingdom), secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, responsible for the work of the Department for Education. ...

(2010–2014),

Chief Whip The Chief Whip is a political leader whose task is to enforce the whipping system, which aims to ensure that legislators who are members of a political party attend and vote on legislation as the party leadership prescribes. United Kingdom I ...

of the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

(2014–2015) and

Secretary of State for Justice The secretary of state for justice is a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, with responsibility for the Ministry of Justice. The incumbent is a member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom. Since the office's inception ...

(2015–2016) * Ed Vaizey, Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries (2010–2016) *

Nick Boles Nicholas Edward Coleridge Boles (born 2 November 1965) is a British politician who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Grantham and Stamford from 2010 to 2019. He was a member of the Conservative Party until 2019. Before entering parliament ...

, Minister of State for Skills and Equalities (2014–2016) * Steve Hilton, former Director of Strategy at

Conservative Campaign Headquarters The Conservative Campaign Headquarters (CCHQ), formerly known as Conservative Central Office (CCO), is the headquarters of the British Conservative Party, housing its central staff and committee members, including campaign coordinators and man ...

* Rachel Whetstone, Hilton's wife and head of

Google Google LLC (, ) is an American multinational corporation and technology company focusing on online advertising, search engine technology, cloud computing, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, consumer electronics, and artificial ...

's division in Europe until June 2015 * Edward Llewellyn,

Downing Street Chief of Staff The Downing Street chief of staff is the most senior Special adviser (UK), political appointee in the 10 Downing Street#Office of the Prime Minister, Office of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, acting as a senior aide to the Prime Minist ...

(2010–2016) * The Baroness Fall, Downing Street Deputy Chief of Staff (2010–2016) * The Lord Feldman of Elstree,

Chairman of the Conservative Party The chairman of the Conservative Party in the United Kingdom is responsible for party administration and overseeing the Conservative Campaign Headquarters, formerly Conservative Central Office. When the Conservative Party (UK), Conservatives are ...

(2010–2016)

Post Cameron era

Following the resignation of

, the remaining nine members were fully removed from power by

Theresa May Theresa Mary May, Baroness May of Maidenhead (; ; born 1 October 1956), is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2016 to 2019. She previously served as Home Secretar ...

, following her victory in the leadership election of June 2016, and the formation of the May Ministry in July 2016. However, following the general election of

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

, Gove made a return to the Cabinet as Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and also went on to serve in the Cabinets of Boris Johnson (2019–2022) and Rishi Sunak (2022–2024). Cameron himself made a surprise return as Foreign Secretary in November 2023, this time as a member of the House of Lords.

References

* Conservative Party (UK) factions David Cameron Political neologisms 2004 in the United Kingdom Politics of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Notting Hill {{UK-poli-stub

Members

Post Cameron era

See also

References