David Cameron’s resignation speech on Friday marked a sudden end to his 11 years as leader of the Conservative party. Remain supporters heaped blame on him for his miscalculations over the referendum result. “He leaves office in ignominy,” the Economist concluded. Cameron will surely be hoping that history’s assessment is kinder to him.
From a Catholic point of view, Cameron’s legacy is mixed. Some Catholics will have flinched when he lauded the introduction of same-sex marriage during his historic departure speech and later said that redefining marriage was one of his proudest achievements while in office. The economic policies introduced by his Government were heavily criticised by agencies such as CSAN and Cardinal Vincent Nichols said welfare had become increasingly “punitive” under Cameron’s Government during an interview with The Daily Telegraph back in 2014.
