David Cameron: UK Prime Minister (2010-2016)

Model Diplomat Research Team · Last reviewed June 22, 2026

TL;DR

British Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2016 and as Foreign Secretary from 2023 to 2024.
Why did David Cameron resign as Prime Minister?
How did Cameron return to government in 2023?
What was Cameron's role in the Scottish independence referendum?

Leaders & ThinkersUpdated June 22, 2026

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Timeline

9 October 1966
David Cameron (born ) led the Conservative Party from 2005 and became Prime Minister in May 2010, forming a coalition government with the Liberal Democrats u…
23 June 2016
EU referendum: After renegotiating UK membership terms, Cameron called the referendum held on .

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In November 2023, Rishi Sunak appointed David Cameron as Foreign Secretary, returning the former Prime Minister to government more than seven years after his post-Brexit resignation.

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David Cameron (born 9 October 1966) led the Conservative Party from 2005 and became Prime Minister in May 2010, forming a coalition government with the Liberal Democrats under Nick Clegg after a hung parliament. He won an outright Conservative majority in the May 2015 general election.

Cameron's premiership is associated with several defining policies and events:

Austerity: His government, with Chancellor George Osborne, pursued a deficit-reduction programme involving cuts to public spending and welfare following the 2008 financial crisis.
Libya (2011): The UK, alongside France and the US, participated in NATO-led military intervention authorised by UN Security Council Resolution 1973.
Scottish independence referendum (2014): Cameron's government agreed to the referendum via the Edinburgh Agreement (2012); the "No" side won with roughly 55% of the vote.
Same-sex marriage: The Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013 was passed under his government in England and Wales.
Syria votes: In August 2013, the House of Commons rejected his motion for military action against the Assad government following chemical weapons use.
EU referendum: After renegotiating UK membership terms, Cameron called the referendum held on 23 June 2016. He campaigned for Remain; the Leave side won approximately 52% to 48%, and he resigned the following day, with Theresa May succeeding him in July 2016.

After leaving the Commons in September 2016, Cameron became involved in controversy over lobbying for the collapsed firm Greensill Capital, reviewed in the 2021 Boardman Report. In November 2023, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak unexpectedly appointed him Foreign Secretary, with a peerage as Baron Cameron of Chipping Norton enabling him to sit in the House of Lords. He served in that role until the Conservatives lost the July 2024 general election to Labour under Keir Starmer.

Frequently asked questions

Why did David Cameron resign as Prime Minister?

He resigned on 24 June 2016, the day after the UK voted to leave the European Union in a referendum he had called and campaigned against losing.

How did Cameron return to government in 2023?

Rishi Sunak appointed him Foreign Secretary in November 2023; because Cameron was no longer an MP, he was given a life peerage as Baron Cameron of Chipping Norton.

What was Cameron's role in the Scottish independence referendum?

His government signed the 2012 Edinburgh Agreement with the Scottish Government, enabling the September 2014 referendum, in which voters rejected independence.