The National Conservative Convention (NCC) is the voluntary wing of the Conservative Party in the United Kingdom. It is not to be confused with the Conservative party conference. The convention is composed of all constituency Association Chairmen, Officers from Areas and Regions, and 42 representatives from the Conservative Women's Organisation. Until 2016, Conservative Future also sent 42 delegates to the NCC. The Convention meets twice a year—its Annual General Meeting is usually held at Spring Forum, with another meeting usually held at the Conservative party conference. At the head of this body sits a team of executive officers comprising a Chairman, a President and three vice-presidents, of whom the Chairman is the most senior. They are representative of the volunteers within the party.
The Conservative Party comprises the Voluntary Party, Parliamentary Party (sometimes called the Political Party) and the Professional Party.
Members of the public join the party by becoming part of a local constituency association. The country is also divided into regions, with each region containing a number of areas, both having a similar structure to constituency associations. The National Convention is essentially the parliament of the Voluntary Party.
The 1922 Committee is effectively head of the Parliamentary Party its leader forms policy in consultation with his cabinet and administration. The Conservative Campaign Headquarters (CCHQ) is effectively head of the Professional Party and leads financing, organisation of elections and drafting of policy. The Conservative Party Board is the party's ultimate decision making body, responsible for all operational matters (including fundraising, membership and candidates) and is made up of representatives from each (voluntary, political and professional) section of the Party.
The National Union of Conservative and Unionist Associations was a federation of the voluntary wing of the Conservative Party. It was responsible for running the party conferences, but did not have any power over the leadership, other than advisory. It was founded in 1867 and was the first formal national Conservative organisation. In 1998 the National Union was replaced by the National Conservative Convention.
Until 1988, it was known as the National Union of Conservative and Unionist Associations.
1925: Sir Percy Woodhouse1926: Dame Caroline Bridgeman1927: Sir Robert Sanders MP1928: John Gretton MP1929: Gwilym Rowlands1930: The Countess of Iveagh MP1931: The Honourable George Herbert (also served as President in 1935) (No Conference held)1932: The Earl Howe1933: Sir Robert Geoffrey Ellis MP1934: Miss Regina Evans1935: Sir William Cope (later became Lord Cope)1936: Sir Henry Leonard Brassey (later became Lord Brassey of Apethorpe)1937: Mrs Clara Fyfe1938: 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 Catterall1944: Mrs Lionel Whitehead1945: Rab Butler MP1946: Major Richard Proby1947: Hon. Mrs Henry Hornyold-Strickland1948: Sir Herbert Williams1949: Douglas Graham1950: Anthony Nutting MP1951: Mrs Lorne Sayers (No Conference held)1952: Charles Waterhouse MP1953: Mrs John Warde1954: Sir Godfrey Llewellyn, Bt1955: Hon. Evelyn Emmett, MP1956: Sir Eric Edwards1957: Mrs Walter Elliot1958: Sir Stanley Bell1959-1960: Sir Edward Brown1961: Sir Douglas Glover MP1962: Sir John Howard1963: Mrs TCR Shepherd1964-1965: Sir Max Bemrose1966: Sir Dan Mason (Sir Robert Davies, Oct 1966-Feb 1967)1967: Mrs Charles Doughty1968: Sir Theodore Constantine1969: DP Crossman1970: Sir Edwin Leather1971: Mrs Unity Lister1972: William Harris1973: Mrs Roy Smith1974-1975: Sir Alastair Graesser1976: Miss Shelagh Roberts1977: David Sells1978: Sir Herbert Redfearn1979: David Davenport-Handley1980: Dame Ann Springman1981: Sir Fred Hardman1982: Donald Walters1983: Peter Lane1984: Dame Pamela Hunter1985: Sir Basil Feldman1986: Patrick Lawrence1987: Dame Joan Seccombe1988: Sir Ian McLeod2010-2013: Jeremy Middleton CBE2013-2016: Baroness Pidding CBE2016-: Robert Semple CBEUntil 1988, it was known as the National Union of Conservative and Unionist Associations. The President of the NCC acts as Chairman of Conservative Party Conference for the year he is Chairman.
1925 Gerald Loder (had also served as Chairman of the National Union of Conservative and Constitutional Associations in 1899)1926 George Lane-Fox1927 Viscount Tredegar1928 The Lord Queenborough1929 The Lord Faringdon1930 Neville Chamberlain MP1931 Neville Chamberlain MP (No Conference held)1932 Lord Stanley1933 The Earl of Plymouth1934 The Lord Bayford1935 The Honourable George Herbert (had also served as Chairman in 1931, although no Conference was held)1936 The Lord Ebbisham1949: The Viscount Swinton1950: Sir David Maxwell Fyfe, MP1951: The Lord Ramsden1952: Sir Thomas Dugdale, MP1953: The Marquess of Salisbury1954: Anthony Eden MP1955: Mrs Lorne Sayers1956: Rab Butler MP1957: The Earl of Woolton1958: Sir Richard Proby, Bt1959-60: Henry Brooke MP1961: The Viscount Hailsham1962: Sir Godfrey Llewellyn, Bt1963: The Earl of Home1964-65: The Viscountess Davidson1966: Selwyn Lloyd MP1967: The Lord Chelmer1968: Reginald Maudling MP1969: The Baroness Brooke of Ystradfellte1970: Iain Macleod MP1971: William Whitelaw MP1972: Dame Margaret Shepherd1973: Anthony Barber MP1974-75: Peter Thomas MP1976: The Lord Hewlett of Swettenham1977: The Lord Carrington1978: Dame Adelaide Doughty1979: Francis Pym MP1980: The Lord Constantine of Stanmore1981: Edward du Cann MP1982: Sir John Taylor1983: Sir Geoffrey Howe MP1984: Sir Alistair Graesser1985: Sir Humphrey Atkins MP1986: Sir Charles Johnston1987: George Younger MP1988: Dame Shelagh Roberts MEP1989: The Viscount Whitelaw of Penrith1994-1995: Sir William Royden Stuttaford KBE2013: Charles Heslop OBE2014: Robert Semple CBE2015: Steve Bell OBE2016: Gerry Yates
