From magic circle to one member one vote: a short history of Tory leadership contests

The present election will turn on whether MPs and activists put national popularity before ideological soundness.

Lewis Baston: The Conservative local election landslide of 1968

How a unique combination of Heath and Powell saw the Tories swept to power from Sheffield to Lambeth.

Profile: Enoch Powell. Many politicians rose higher. Few made a bigger impact – or still do.

He made grotesque errors of taste and judgement – see “Rivers of Blood”. But even his critics admit that he was one of the great parliamentarians of the 20th century.

Hard lessons for May from leadership contests of the past

Bonar Law’s words in 1922 apply to the present leader: “The party elects a leader, and that leader chooses the policy, and if the party does not like it, they have to get another leader.”

Lewis Baston: Poulson, sleaze, expenses. A history of recent Parliamentary scandals.

In the best of all worlds, standards would be upheld voluntarily. But in the world we have, we seem to need rules – and sometimes to extend them.

Lewis Baston: Forty years ago, another Tory conference. It saw that famous Hague speech. And the arrival of Reg Prentice…

The former Labour MP’s defection, and the later split within that party, has not yet found in a parallel in our own turbulent times.

John Deben: Weak leadership, catastrophic decisions. The appeasement of reactionaries over Brexit has betrayed Heath’s legacy

He wouldn’t have let Cash and Fox, Johnson and Rees-Mogg seize the agenda. He would have fought Farage’s populism as he fought that of Powell.

Lewis Baston: Labour-inspired, Conservative-inclining. The swing seat story of the New Towns.

They have gone either way in successive elections, but their recent results show up electoral trends that helping the Tories.

Lewis Baston: How Edward Heath won the first Conservative leadership election, 50 years ago this month

He defeated the favourite, Reggie Maudling. And ever since, when offered a choice, the Tories have gone with the less familiar face among the main candidates.

The untold story behind Cameron’s general election victory

The early training that David Cameron and his team received in the Conservative Research Department proved decisive.

Cameron’s Children: The next generation of Conservative MPs

Our final pre-election version – complete with the 30 new Tory candidates most likely to make it to the Commons.

Lewis Baston: When nationalists helped to pitch out a minority Conservative government. The general election of 1892.

Think of today’s two main parties led in 2015 by Nicholas Soames and Denis Healey and you are part of the way there.

Lewis Baston: Six months out, what does the past tell us about how much change to expect before polling day?

The classic pattern of Government honeymoon, mid-term discontent and Government recovery happens less often than one might believe.

Lewis Baston: Will Osborne succeed where Maudling failed? The Budget that almost won the Tories an election

Our monthly history columnist says that the man who Edward Heath later beat for the leadership almost pulled it off.