In October 2005, one of the candidates in a watershed Tory leadership election gave a speech at the party’s annual conference, in the wake of its third consecutive election defeat.
“We’ve got to recognise that we’re in third place amongst under-35s, that we’ve lost support amongst women, that public servants no longer think we’re on their side, that the people with aspirations who swept Margaret Thatcher to power have drifted away from our party,” said David Cameron. “We have to change and modernise our culture and attitudes and identity.” These shifts, he said, would have to be deep and wide, and show that “we’re comfortable with modern Britain”.
