Douglas Hurd MP confronts media outside his Mid Oxfordshire constituency office during his leadership bid for the Conservative party on 23rd November 1990, at Witney England. The 1990 Conservative Party leadership election took place on 20 November 1990 following the decision of former Defence and Environment Secretary Michael Heseltine to challenge Margaret Thatcher, the incumbent Prime Minister, for leadership of the Conservative Party. Douglas Richard Hurd, Baron Hurd of Westwell, CH, CBE, PC b1930 is a British Conservative politician who served in the governments of Margaret Thatcher and John Major from 1979 to 1995.