Abstract
Recent studies have challenged a long-standing conventional wisdom that British prime ministers have little or no influence on party support. This research is based largely on data gathered during Margaret Thatcher's lengthy term in office. Given her enormous salience and the powerful emotions that her policies and personality evoked, the conclusion that voters' evaluations of prime ministerial performance typically are very influential may be unwarranted. This paper addresses the possibility by comparing the impact of prime ministerial approval on governing party vote intentions during the Thatcher and Major eras. Time series analyses of error correction models of Conservative Party support for the 1979–1996 period reveal that prime ministerial approval had stronger short- and long-run effects on vote intentions during the Thatcher years. However, both kinds of effects remained statistically significant and substantively important when Major was prime minister.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
