Richard joined the department as Lecturer in Politics in September 2009, and was promoted to Senior Lecturer from January 2011. Previously he worked in the Department of Politics at the University of Sheffield, where he also lectured at the Institute for Lifelong Learning. He teaches a range of courses at Huddersfield including Development, European Politics, Party Politics and British Politics. His PhD, awarded by the University of Sheffield, examined Conservative politics and ideology in opposition, and he developed this into a monograph published by Manchester University Press in 2012.

Richard is an Associate of the Higher Education Academy, and has published articles on British party politics, Conservative politics, national identity in Britain, and higher education politics teaching. He also convenes the Political Studies Association Conservatives and Conservatism Specialist Group, and is the founding editor of the ‘New Perspectives on the Right’ book series hosted by Manchester University Press. He has presented papers at numerous academic conferences and given invited papers at universities including Oxford, Leeds and Manchester.

I am currently co-organising a conference on Oratory in Conservative Politics to be held at the University of Huddersfield in November 2012. The proceedings of this will be developed into an edited book. This builds on a similar event, Labour Orators from Aneurin Bevan to Gordon Brown, which we hosted in 2011, leading to an edited volume with Manchester University Press.

My doctoral thesis examined contemporary Conservative Party politics and this continues to be a key research interest of mine. I have published on Conservative modernisation in Political Quarterly, and my book, Reconstructing Conservatism? The Conservative Party in Opposition, 1997-2010 was published by Manchester University Press in 2012. I have also published an article in Parliamentary Affairs examining the significance of Iain Duncan Smith's tenure as Conservative Party leader, and have written a separate paper on his leadership attributes for a book on leaders of the opposition since World War II. A chapter on the Conservatives and the 2010 general election has been published in Italian, and in an English language edition with MUP.

Beyond Conservative Party politics I have an interest in party politics and electoral competition in Britain more generally. Along with many other political scientists I have an emerging research interest in coalition politics (see my post-election commentary in the Yorkshire Post), and have also published an academic article examining the recent electoral performance of the UK Independence Party.

I have a developing interest in a number of public policy issues surrounding the broad theme of social justice, and presented a paper on this topic at a conference at the University of Leeds in April 2011. This now features in an edited collection published by Palgrave Macmillan, assessing the coalition's first year in office.

I have a keen interest in the politics of national identity, notably issues related to European integration, immigration and devolution. Specifically I have co-authored articles on the rise of Englishness in contemporary British politics, and on the place of Englishness and the Union in contemporary Conservative Thought.

Finally I have conducted research and published on pedagogical issues related specifically to the teaching and learning of politics in higher education. This is an ongoing interest and I am considering possibilities for future work in this area.

2012

Hayton, R (2012) Reconstructing Conservatism? The Conservative Party in Opposition, 1997-2010 . New Persectives on the Right. Manchester, UK: Manchester University Press . ISBN 0719083168

Hayton, R (2012) ‘Book Review - The Conservatives under David Cameron: Built to last’ British Politics , 7 (1), pp. 82-83. ISSN 1746918X

Hayton, R (2012) ‘Fixing Broken Britain? Social Policy under the Coalition’. In: Cameron and the Conservatives: The Transition to Coalition Government . Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. . ISBN 9780230314108

Hayton, R (2012) ‘Iain Duncan Smith, 2001-2003’. In: Leaders of the Opposition: From Churchill to Cameron. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan . . ISBN 9780230296473

Hayton, R (2012) ‘Inquiry-based learning and the international student’ Teaching in Higher Education , 17 (4). ISSN 13562517

Mycock, A. and Hayton, R. (2012) ‘The party politics of post-devolution identity: defending the Union?’ British Journal of Politics and International Relations . ISSN 13691481

2011

McAuley, J., Ward, P., Thomas, P., Mycock, A., Matthews, J., McGlynn, C., Hayton, R. and Webster, W. (2011) ‘Academy for British and Irish Studies, 2011’. In: Academy for British and Irish Studies (relaunch), December 2011, University of Huddersfield

Hayton, R (2011) ‘At long last, Miliband finds his voice... but now he has to make sure that his message is heard ’ Yorkshire Post . ISSN 0963-1496

Hayton, R (2011) ‘I conservatori e la strada per (spartire) il potere’. In: La Gran Bretagna di Cameron. Bologna, Italy: il Mulino. . ISBN 978-88-15-23351-6

Hayton, R. and Mycock, A. (2011) ‘The Party Politics of the Union’. In: 61st Political Studies Association Annual Conference Transforming Politics: New Synergies, 19-21st April 2011, London, UK

2010

Hayton, R (2010) ‘Conservative Party Modernisation and David Cameron's Politics of the Family’ The Political Quarterly , 81 (4), pp. 492-500. ISSN 1467-923X

Hayton, R (2010) ‘Young Pretender must show that the crown fits’ Yorkshire Post . ISSN 0963-1496

Hayton, R. and Bache, I. (2010) ‘Teaching politics through inquiry: the international student voice ’. In: 3rd PSA Teaching and Learning Group Conference, 15 September 2010, De Montfort University, Leicester, UK.

Hayton, R (2010) ‘Leadership without authority: Iain Duncan Smith as leader of the Conservative Party’. In: Leaders of the Opposition: From Churchill To Cameron, 9 July 2010, University of Leeds

Hayton, R. and Heppell, T. (2010) ‘The Quiet Man of British Politics: the Rise, Fall and Significance of Iain Duncan Smith’ Parliamentary Affairs , 63 (3), pp. 425-445. ISSN 1460-2482

Hayton, R (2010) ‘Happy together for now but will it turn out to be a shotgun wedding? ’ Yorkshire Post . ISSN 0963-1496

Hayton, R (2010) ‘Towards the Mainstream? UKIP and the 2009 Elections to the European Parliament’ Politics , 30 (1), pp. 26-35. ISSN 0263-3957

2009

English, R., Hayton, R. and Kenny, M. (2009) ‘Englishness and the Union in Contemporary Conservative Thought’ Government and Opposition , 44 (4), pp. 343-365. ISSN 0017-257X

2008

Hayton, R (2008) ‘Teaching Politics: Graduate Students as Tutors’ Politics , 28 (3), pp. 207-214. ISSN 0263-3957

Hayton, R. and Kenny , M. (2008) ‘The English Question’ The Guardian Newspaper . ISSN 0261-3077

Hayton, R., English, R. and Kenny , M. (2008) ‘Beyond the Constitution? Englishness in a post-devolved Britain’ Beyond the Constitution? Englishness in a post-devolved Britain .

2007

Hayton, R (2007) ‘Book Review: "The Blair Effect: 2001-2005", edited by Anthony Seldon and Dennis Kavanagh, Cambridge University Press. ’ Millennium: Journal of International Studies , 36 (1), pp. 176-177. ISSN 0305-8298

Hayton, R (2007) ‘Book Review: "A Political Philosophy: Arguments for Conservatism" by Roger Scruton, Continuum, London, 2006. ’ Political Studies Review , 5 (3), pp. 409-409. ISSN 1478-9299

Hayton, R., English, R. and Kenny, M. (2007) ‘Englishness in Contemporary British Politics’ The Political Quarterly , 78 (S1), pp. 122-135. ISSN 0032-3179

Hayton, R (2007) ‘Book Review: "Conservative Revival: Blueprint for a Better Britain", edited by Chris Philp, Politicos, London, 2006. ’ Political Studies Review , 5 (1), pp. 111-112. ISSN 1478-9299

Richard is currently first supervisor to one PhD student, Libby McEnhill, who is fully funded by a University of Huddersfield Human and Health Sciences PhD Studentship. The working title of her thesis is 'From Opposition to Coalition: Analysing Conservative Welfare Policy'.

In addition to this, he has supervisory experience on the MA by Research and MA in Public Sector Modernisation programmes, and is also second supervisor to one PhD student. Richard is keen to supervise promising research students in the following areas (broadly defined):

• British politics
• Party politics and political leadership in the UK
• Political ideologies (especially conservatism)
• National identity (especially issues related to Englishness and Britishness)
• Parliament, the constitution and constitutional reform
• Euroscepticism

• Convenor, Political Studies Association Conservatives and Conservatism Specialist Group.
• Book Series Editor, ‘New Perspectives on the Right’ hosted by Manchester University Press.
• External examiner (by viva-voce) for MA by research degree, University of Leeds (January 2012). 

Richard is the Admissions Officer for Undergraduate Politics Degrees. Please feel free to contact him if you are interested in studying Politics at Huddersfield.

Richard teaches on a range of modules at Huddersfield, reflecting his research interests and expertise. He is currently module leader for:

• HFX2001 Introduction to British and Global Politics (40 credits, Year 1)
• HIX2000 British Party Politics (20 credits, Year 2)
• HIX1010 Competing Perspectives on Development (20 credits, Year 2)
• HHX1019 The Politics of Europe and the European Union (20 credits, Year 3)