The Conservative Governments and Social Policy

Hugh Bochel is Emeritus Professor of Public Policy at the School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Lincoln. Martin Powell is Professor of Health and Social Policy at the Health Services Management Centre, University of Birmingham.

1. Introduction: The Conservative Governments From Cameron to Sunak (2015–23) – Hugh Bochel and Martin Powell


2. The Conservatives and Public Spending Since 2015 – Nick Ellison


3. Turning Up the Thermostat: The Conservatives, Social Policy and Public Opinion – Andrew Defty


4. Brexit and the Conservative Party’s Social Policies – Steven Corbett


5. The Johnson Conservative Government, Its Conservatism and the Pandemic Response – Ian Greener


6. The Governance of Social Policy Under the Conservatives – Catherine Bochel and Hugh Bochel


7. Conservative Health Policy, 2015–23 – Martin Powell


8. The Less Things Change: Conservatism, COVID-19 and Incoherence in Education Policy – Stephen J. Ball


9. Conservative Housing Policy in England – Peter Somerville


10. Social Security Policies Under the Conservatives 2015–22: Austerity, COVID-19, and the Living Cost Crisis – Stephen McKay and Karen Rowlingson


11. Labour Market Strategies and Welfare Policies: The Conservative Record – Anne Daguerre and David Etherington


12. The Conservatives and Adult Social Care – Jon Glasby


13. The Conservatives, Family Policy and the Data Revolution – Val Gillies and Rosalind Edwards


14. Troubling Social Policy During Turbulent Times: Children and UK Conservative Governments Since 2015 – Harriet Churchill


15. Conservative Criminal Justice: A Strange Rediscovery of ‘Law and Order’ Politics – Peter Squires


16. Equalities and The Conservatives: The Widening of Social Divisions – Kirstein Rummery


17. The Conservative Governments, Devolution and Social Policy – Ann Marie Gray


18. Conclusions – Hugh Bochel and Martin Powell