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 Woodhouse
1926: Dame Caroline Bridgeman
1927: Sir Robert Sanders MP
1928: John Gretton MP
1929: Gwilym Rowlands
1930: The Countess of Iveagh MP
1931: The Honourable George Herbert (also served as President in 1935) (No Conference held)
1932: The Earl Howe
1933: Sir Robert Geoffrey Ellis MP
1934: Miss Regina Evans
1935: Sir William Cope (later became Lord Cope)
1936: Sir Henry Leonard Brassey (later became Lord Brassey of Apethorpe)
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, Bt
1955: Hon. Evelyn Emmett, MP
1956: Sir Eric Edwards
1957: Mrs Walter 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 Bemrose
1966: Sir Dan Mason (Sir Robert Davies, Oct 1966-Feb 1967)
1967: Mrs Charles Doughty
1968: Sir Theodore Constantine
1969: DP Crossman
1970: Sir Edwin Leather
1971: Mrs Unity Lister
1972: William Harris
1973: Mrs Roy Smith
1974-1975: Sir Alastair Graesser
1976: Miss Shelagh Roberts
1977: David Sells
1978: Sir Herbert Redfearn
1979: David Davenport-Handley
1980: Dame Ann Springman
1981: Sir Fred Hardman
1982: Donald Walters
1983: Peter Lane
1984: Dame Pamela Hunter
1985: Sir Basil Feldman
1986: Patrick Lawrence
1987: Dame Joan Seccombe
1988: Sir Ian McLeod
2010-2013: Jeremy Middleton CBE
2013-2016: Baroness Pidding CBE
2016-: Robert Semple CBE
Until 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-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 The Honourable 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, Bt
1959-60: Henry Brooke MP
1961: The Viscount Hailsham
1962: Sir Godfrey Llewellyn, Bt
1963: The Earl of Home
1964-65: 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
1974-75: 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 Royden Stuttaford KBE
2013: Charles Heslop OBE
2014: Robert Semple CBE
2015: Steve Bell OBE
2016: Gerry Yates
