Editing Conservative Party (UK) (section)

=== Membership ===

[[File:UK popular vote.svg|thumb|upright=1.6|Share of the vote received by Conservatives (blue), Whigs/Liberals/Liberal Democrats (orange), Labour (red) and others (grey) in general elections since 1832<ref>{{cite book |at=Table 2.01 "Summary Results of General Elections 1832–2005 (UK)", p. 59 |title=British electoral facts, 1832–2006 |author-link1=Colin Rallings |first1=Colin |last1=Rallings |author-link2=Michael Thrasher |first2=Michael |last2=Thrasher |edition=7th |year=2007 |publisher=Ashgate |isbn= 978-0-7546-2712-8}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/election2010/results/ |title=Election 2010 Results |work=BBC News |access-date=7 May 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100414102452/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/election2010/results/ |archive-date=14 April 2010 |url-status=live }}</ref>]]
Membership peaked in the mid-1950s at approximately 3&nbsp;million, before declining steadily through the second half of the 20th century.<ref name="hoclibrary">{{cite web|url=http://www.parliament.uk/briefing-papers/SN05125.pdf|date=3 December 2012|first=Feargal|last=McGuinness|title=Membership of UK political parties|publisher=House of Commons Library|access-date=21 April 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140401031422/http://www.parliament.uk/briefing-papers/SN05125.pdf|archive-date=1 April 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> Despite an initial boost shortly after [[2005 Conservative Party leadership election|David Cameron's election as leader]] in December 2005, membership resumed its decline in 2006 to a lower level than when he was elected. In 2010 the Conservative Party had about 177,000 members according to activist [[Tim Montgomerie]],<ref>{{cite news |last=Mulholland |first=Hélène |title=Tories voice fears over falling membership |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/blog/2010/oct/05/tories-fears-falling-membership |access-date=22 November 2011 |newspaper=The Guardian |date=5 October 2010 |quote=[[Tim Montgomerie]], the editor of the influential grassroots Tory website ConservativeHome, told a fringe event that two separate sources had told him party membership was now 177,000—down 80,000 on the 2005 figure of 257,000&nbsp;... The Conservative party refused to confirm the figure |location=London |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140423213625/http://www.theguardian.com/politics/blog/2010/oct/05/tories-fears-falling-membership |archive-date=23 April 2014 |url-status=live }}</ref> and in 2013 membership was estimated by the party itself at 134,000.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-24143443|date=18 September 2013|title=Conservative membership has nearly halved under Cameron|work=BBC News|access-date=21 April 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140625074108/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-24143443|archive-date=25 June 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> The Conservative Party had a membership of 124,000 in March 2018.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/party-membership-what-are-the-latest-figures/ |title= Party membership: what are the latest figures? |last= Audickas |first= Lukas |date= 2 May 2018 |website= commonslibrary.parliament.uk |publisher= UK Parliament – House of Commons Library |access-date= 10 May 2024 |archive-date= 10 May 2024 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240510172935/https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/party-membership-what-are-the-latest-figures/ |url-status= live }}</ref> In May 2019 its membership was thought to be around 160,000, with over half of its members being over 55.<ref>{{cite news |last= Littlejohn |first= Georgina |date= 26 May 2019 |title= Tory membership increases to 160,000 ahead of leadership election |url= https://inews.co.uk/news/politics/tory-membership-increases-to-160000-ahead-of-leadership-election-295318 |work= i News |access-date= 10 May 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last= Bale |first= Tim |date= 23 June 2019 |title= Tory leadership: Who gets to choose the UK's next prime minister? |url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-48395211 |work= BBC News |access-date= 10 May 2024}}</ref> Its membership rose to 200,000 in March 2021.<ref>{{cite news |last= Fisher |first= Lucy |date= 26 March 2021 |title= Tory leadership: Who gets to choose the UK's next prime minister? |url= https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2021/03/26/exclusive-tory-base-soars-60-per-cent-three-years-hit-200000/ |work= The Daily Telegraph |access-date= 10 May 2024}}</ref> In July 2022 it had 172,437 members.<ref name="July 2022 membership">{{cite news |last= Wheeler |first= Brian |date= 5 September 2022 |title= Tory membership figure revealed |url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-politics-62760180?pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:343a0159-4b24-498a-86d8-79ceb11e434b&pinned_post_asset_id=6315ef435406b91fca2cd224&pinned_post_type=share |work= BBC News |access-date= 5 September 2022 |archive-date= 5 September 2022 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220905154839/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-politics-62760180?pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:343a0159-4b24-498a-86d8-79ceb11e434b&pinned_post_asset_id=6315ef435406b91fca2cd224&pinned_post_type=share |url-status= live }}</ref>

The membership fee for the Conservative Party is £25, or £5 if the member is under the age of 23.