The National Conservative Convention (NCC) is the most senior body of the Conservative Party's voluntary wing. The National Convention effectively serves as the Party's internal Parliament, and is made up of its 800 highest-ranking Party Officers.

The composition and functions of the NCC have evolved since its establishment in 1867. It has previously had a major role in policy-making and the planning of Party Conferences. Today, its primary purposes are to take charge of internal Party affairs and representing the views of Party members. Most crucially, it elects five members each year to sit on the Conservative Party Board.

History and structure The NCC was first established as the National Union of Conservative and Unionist Associations. Its purpose was to oversee the running of the Party across the country, and plan Party Conferences. These functions remain largely the same today, and every year the President of the NCC continues to officially open the Party Conference.

Over time, the NUCUA's membership became more clearly defined, and has broadly been the same since the Party's set of extensive internal reforms following their defeat in the 1945 General Election. In 1998, new Party leader William Hague carried out another extensive reform which led to the NUCUA's renaming as the National Conservative Convention. In recent years, the Convention's influence over the running of the Party and its campaigning methods has increased heavily. Any changes to the Constitution of the Conservative Party must be approved by a majority vote of the NCC, and it plays a pivotal role in the inception and implementation of Party reforms, such as the Conservative Party Review.

The NCC includes a mix of appointed and directly and indirectly elected Party Officers. When members of the public join the Party, they are attached to the Conservative Association of the constituency they reside in. Party members elect their local Association Chairmen who sit on the Convention, and other local officials. Each Chairman and one Deputy Chairman sit on an Area Council, typically covering one or two Counties and several local authorities and constituencies. These Councils annually elect the Party's senior volunteers; Area and Regional Officers. All senior volunteers (approximately 150 Area and 30 Regional Officers) sit on the Convention. In addition to this, the Conservative Women's Organisation and Conservative Future (including their predecessor organisations) each send 40 delegates to the NCC, though Conservative Future has not sent delegates since its dissolution.

The NCC meets three times a year; at Conservative Party Conference, the Conservative Spring Forum, and for its own election meeting, usually held in the summer. The Convention Executive (elected annually by its members) consists of its Chairman, who serves for three years, three Vice-Presidents, who each serve for three years, and the President, who serves for one year. Generally speaking, after finishing their term, an outgoing Vice-President is elected as the President and Chairs that year's Party Conference. Officers typically run for election for the NCC's Executive only after several decades of experience in the Party. The Party Leader and Chairman attend Convention meetings and address its members. There are also regular meetings of Senior Volunteers (Area and Regional Officers) in between full Convention meetings.

Chairmen of the National Conservative Convention (Until 1998, the National Union of Conservative and Unionist Associations) 1925: Sir Percy Woodhouse 1926: Dame Caroline Bridgeman 1927: Sir Robert Sanders MP 1928: John Gretton MP 1929: Gwilym Rowlands 1930: Gwendolen Guinness, Countess of Iveagh MP 1931: The Honourable George Herbert (also served as President in 1935) (No Conference held) 1932: Francis Curzon, 5th Earl Howe 1933: Sir Robert Geoffrey Ellis MP 1934: Miss Regina Evans 1935: Sir William Cope 1936: Sir Henry Leonard Brassey 1937: Mrs Clara Fyfe 1938: Sir Eugene Ramsden MP (No Conference held) 1939: Nigel Colman MP (No Conference held) 1940: The Lady Hillingdon (No Conference held) 1941: Sir Cuthbert Headlam MP (No Conference held) 1942: Councillor Robert Catterall (No Conference held) 1943: Councillor Robert Catterall 1944: Mrs Lionel Whitehead 1945: Rab Butler MP 1946: Major Richard Proby 1947: Hon. Mrs Henry Hornyold-Strickland 1948: Sir Herbert Williams 1949: Douglas Graham 1950: Anthony Nutting MP 1951: Mrs Lorne Sayers (No Conference held) 1952: Charles Waterhouse MP 1953: Mrs John Warde 1954: Sir Godfrey Llewellyn 1955: Evelyn Emmett MP 1956: Sir Eric Edwards 1957: Katherine Elliot 1958: Sir Stanley Bell 1959–1960: Sir Edward Brown 1961: Sir Douglas Glover MP 1962: Sir John Howard 1963: Mrs TCR Shepherd 1964–1965: Sir Max BemroseBEMROSE, Sir Max (John Maxwell) in Who Was Who 1897–2007, retrieved 5 June 2008, from BEMROSE, Sir Max (John Maxwell) 1966: Sir Dan Mason (Sir Robert Davies, Oct 1966 – Feb 1967) 1967: Adelaide Doughty 1968: Sir Theodore Constantine 1969: DP Crossman 1970: Sir Edwin Leather 1971: Unity Lister 1972: William Harris 1973: Mrs Roy Smith 1974–1975: Sir Alastair Graesser 1976: Shelagh Roberts 1977: David Sells 1978: Sir Herbert Redfearn 1979: Sir David Davenport-Handley 1980: Dame Ann Springman 1981: Sir Fred Hardman 1982: Sir Donald Walters 1983: Peter Lane 1984: Dame Pamela Hunter 1985: Sir Basil Feldman 1986: Sir Patrick Lawrence 1987: Dame Joan Seccombe 1988: Sir Ian McLeod 1998-2000: Robin Hodgson 2000–2003: John Taylor 2003–2006: Raymond Monbiot CBE 2006–2009: Don Porter CBE 2009–2012: Jeremy Middleton CBE 2012–2015: Emma Pidding, Baroness Pidding CBE 2015–2018: Robert Semple CBE 2018–2021: Andrew Sharpe, Baron Sharpe of Epsom OBE July 2021 – September 2024: Peter Booth, Baron Booth 16 September 2024 - 2027: Julian Ellacott

Presidents of the National Conservative Convention 1925 Gerald Loder (had also served as Chairman of the National Union of Conservative and Constitutional Associations in 1899) 1926 George Lane-Fox 1927 Viscount Tredegar 1928 The Lord Queenborough 1929 The Lord Faringdon 1930 Neville Chamberlain MP 1931 Neville Chamberlain MP (no conference held) 1932 Lord Stanley 1933 The Earl of Plymouth 1934 The Lord Bayford 1935 Hon. George Herbert (had also served as chairman in 1931, although no conference was held) 1936 The Lord Ebbisham 1949: The Viscount Swinton 1950: Sir David Maxwell Fyfe, MP 1951: The Lord Ramsden 1952: Sir Thomas Dugdale, MP 1953: The Marquess of Salisbury 1954: Anthony Eden MP 1955: Mrs Lorne Sayers 1956: Rab Butler MP 1957: The Earl of Woolton 1958: Sir Richard Proby, 1st Baronet 1959–1960: Henry Brooke MP 1961: The Viscount Hailsham 1962: Sir Godfrey Llewellyn, Bt 1963: The Earl of Home 1964–1965: The Viscountess Davidson 1966: Selwyn Lloyd MP 1967: The Lord Chelmer 1968: Reginald Maudling MP 1969: The Baroness Brooke of Ystradfellte 1970: Iain Macleod MP 1971: William Whitelaw MP 1972: Dame Margaret Shepherd 1973: Anthony Barber MP 1974–1975: Peter Thomas MP 1976: The Lord Hewlett of Swettenham 1977: The Lord Carrington 1978: Dame Adelaide Doughty 1979: Francis Pym MP 1980: The Lord Constantine of Stanmore 1981: Edward du Cann MP 1982: Sir John Taylor 1983: Sir Geoffrey Howe MP 1984: Sir Alistair Graesser 1985: Sir Humphrey Atkins MP 1986: Sir Charles Johnston 1987: George Younger MP 1988: Dame Shelagh Roberts MEP 1989: The Viscount Whitelaw of Penrith 1994–1995: Sir William Stuttaford KBE 1998–1999: Graham Park CBE 1999–2000: Brian Hanson CBE 2000–2001: Raymond Monbiot CBE 2001–2002: Jean Searle OBE 2002–2003: Caroline Abel-Smith OBE 2003–2004: Don Porter CBE 2004–2005: Richard Stephenson OBE 2005–2006: Paul Marland 2006–2007: Stephen Castle 2007–2008: Simon Mort OBE 2008–2009: Jeremy Middleton CBE 2009–2010: Emma Pidding CBE 2010–2011: Charles Barwell OBE 2011–2012: Fiona, Lady Hodgson CBE 2012–2013: Paul Swaddle OBE 2013–2014: Charles Heslop OBE 2014–2015: Robert Semple OBE 2015–2016: Steve Bell CBE 2016–2017: Gerry Yates OBE 2017–2018: Andrew Sharpe OBE 2018–2019: Thomas Harvey Spiller OBE 2019–2020: Pamela Hall OBE 2020–2021: Andrew Colborne-Baber OBE 2021–2022: Debbie Toon MBE 2022–2023: Clair Buller OBE 2023–2024: Cllr Peter Smallwood OBE 2024–2025: Michael Winstanley OBE 2025–2026: Stewart Harper 2026–2027: John Belsey

Notes

Unless otherwise stated, details of Chairmen and Presidents of the NUCUA are taken from British Political Facts 1900–1994 by David Butler and Gareth Butler. Conservative Conference Guide, 1989 (Eyre & Spottiswoode)