Robert Peel

Peel's Tamworth Manifesto of 1834 is often called the founding document of the modern Conservative Party: it accepted the 1832 Reform Act and promised careful reform rather than resistance. Twelve years later he repealed the Corn Laws with opposition votes, splitting his party in two. The Peelites eventually helped form the Liberal Party, and the Conservatives spent much of the next two decades out of power. It is the classic example of a leader changing policy faster than his party could follow.