Iain Dale's 100 Most Influential People On The Right - 2015

6 October 2015, 12:25 | Updated: 21 September 2016, 11:12

Cameron Downing Street

In the final part of his series looking at the most influential political figures in Britain, Iain Dale gives his verdict on the Top 100 people on the Right in 2015.

"Each year I convene three panels to compile lists of the Top 50 Liberal Democrats, the Top 100 People on the Left and the Top 100 People on the Right. Each list is published to coincide with the three party conferences. Today, it's time to look at the Right."

Iain Dale

1. (HOLD) David Cameron

Prime Minister. Having won an unexpected majority at the election, David Cameron takes over the top place in this list once again, having lost it to both Nigel Farage and George Osborne in recent years. He now has two to three years to create a lasting political legacy. Will he be the prime minister who leads us out of the EU, or seals our place at the heart of it?

2. (+1) George Osborne

Chancellor of the Exchequer. Like Lynton Crosby, George Osborne is at the height of his powers. His image has been transformed. The economy is on the up. He's effectively running the government's domestic policy. He's also taken over the mantle of favourite to succeed David Cameron, a dangeous position to hold as he well knows.

3. (+2) Lynton Crosby

General Election Campaign Director. Tim Ross's forthcoming book Why The Tories Won ays bare the contribution Lynton Crosby made to the Tory victory in May. Revered as a God-like figure in CCHQ, Crosby is at the peak of his powers and the next Tory leader will prostrate themselves in front of him, begging him to return to run the campaign in 2020, and rightly so.

4. (-3) Nigel Farage

Leader of the United Kingdom Independence Party. It's been a funny old year for Nigel Farage. Nearly 4 million votes, yet only one MP to show for it. The disaster of his post election non resignation is still a millstone around his neck and he shows little sign of being able to unify his warring forces.

5. (+1) Theresa May

Home Secretary. Now the longest serving Home Secretary for decades, it was in some ways a shame that Theresa May wasn't made Foreign Secretary in the post election reshuffle, giving her more experience of issues she'd need to be on top of if she succeeds David Cameron. Her weakness is the lack of identifiable 'Mayites' on the backbenches. She's got a couple of years to work on that.

6. (+3) Jeremy Hunt

Secretary of State for Health. On election night, when they thought the Tories would lose, there was a conversation around the Cameron dining table in which he and his colleagues identified Jeremy Hunt as Cameron's successor. If he discovers a harder political edge, it could still happen. The outsider often wins in the end.

7. (+4) Samantha Cameron

Wife of the Prime Minister. Evidence grows by the month of the quiet, behind the scenes influence Samantha Cameron has on her husband. She knows her own mind and she'd not be human if she didn't use every opportunity to get her husband to do what in her mind is the "right thing", especially on humanitarian intervention in the Syrian crisis.

8. (NEW) Sajid Javid

Secretary State for Business, Innovation & Skills. A smooth operator, Javid is being talked about as one of the leading contenders to take over from David Cameron. He's in a job which will allow him to shine, and his response to the Redcar steel crisis has been impressive. We now need to see more of his personality and personal narrative.

9. (+33) Ruth Davidson

Leader, Scottish Conservatives. Ruth Davidson has had a stonking year in charge of the Scottish Conservatives. They may only have one MP but she expects to increase the number of MSPs in the Scottish elections next May. If she were in Westminster she'd be a serious candidate to lead the UK party.

10. (-6) Boris Johnson

Mayor of London. Not the best of years for the newly elected MP for Uxbridge, but no one should write him off. Still the darling of rank and file Tories, he's got time to rebuild his reputation and bounce back, but his main challenge is to convince his fellow MPs that he should be in the final two in a leadership contest.

11. (+1) Michael Gove

12. (-5) Philip Hammond

13. (-3) Lord Michael Ashcroft

14. (NEW) Michael Fallon

15. (NEW) Mark Harper

16. (+31) Zac Goldsmith

17. (NEW) Chris Grayling

18. (NEW) Iain Duncan Smith

19. (NEW) Nicky Morgan

20. (-4) Edward Llewellyn

21. (+10) Lord Daniel Finkelstein

22. (+37) Lord Andrew Feldman

23. (NEW) Thea Rogers

24. (-1) Matthew Hancock

25. (-3) Graham Brady

26. (-5) Oliver Letwin

27. (+19) John Whittingdale

28. (+21) Robert Halfon

29. (+1) Catherine Fall

30. (-5) Patrick McLoughlin

31. (+12) Greg Clark

32. (-3) Andrew Tyrie

33. (+4) Daniel Hannan

34. (NEW) Paul Goodman

35. (NEW) Jesse Norman

36. (-9) Jo Johnson

37. (+8) Matthew Elliott

38. (+1) Lord Stephen Gilbert

39. (-24) Grant Shapps

40. (+18) Anna Soubry

41. (-28) William Hague

42. (+31) Greg Hands

43. (+14) Neil O'Brien

44. (-11) Douglas Carswell

45. (-9) Tim Montgomerie

46. (+4) Donal Blaney

47. (NEW) Graeme Wilson

48. (-4) Nicholas Boles

49. (+48) Suzanne Evans

50. (NEW) Brandon Lewis

51. (-13) Mark Littlewood

52. (-14) Sir Edward Lister

53. (NEW) Fraser Nelson

54. (+15) Stephen Crabb

55. (NEW) Sheridan Westlake

56. (-8) Craig Oliver
 
57. (+6) Priti Patel

58. (NEW) Amber Rudd

59. (NEW) Tracey Crouch

60. (NEW) James Chapman

61. Dominic Cummings

62. (+36) Stuart Polak

63. (NEW) Steve Baker
 
64. (+36) Gavin Williamson
 
65. (NEW) Adam Atashzei
 
66. (-4) Paul Staines
 
67. (NEW) Katie Hopkins

68. (+15) David Gauke

69. (-41) Liz Truss

70. (+10) Syed Kamall

71. (NEW) Christopher Booker

72. (-52) Eric Pickles

73. (-20) Dean Godson

74. (+4) Liam Fox

75. (+7) Douglas Murray
 
76. (NEW) Charles Moore
 
77. (-2) Theresa Villiers 

78. (NEW) Simon Heffer

79. (NEW) Matthew Parris

80. (NEW) Arron Banks

81. (-5) Sarah Wollaston

82. (+14) Raheem Kassam

83. (-6) David Davis

84. (NEW) Ameet Gill

85. (-21) Paul Nuttall

86. (NEW) Camilla Cavendish

87. (+3) Andrew Mitchell 

88. (NEW) Peter Hitchens

89. (NEW) Elliott Johnson

90. (+5) Mark Wallace

91. (NEW) Paul Abbott

92. (NEW) Tim Stanley

93. (-9) Baroness Tina Stowell

94. (NEW) Christian Guy

95. (-8) Jonathan Isaby

96. (NEW) Giles Kenningham

97. (NEW) Julia Hartley-Brewer

98. (NEW) Andrew Kennedy

99. (NEW) James Marshall

100. Steven Woolfe