After graduating from Oxford (1988), Cameron worked for the Conservative Party, first in the research department (1988–92) and then as an adviser to members of the cabinet (1992–94). He then worked for the media company Carlton Communications before entering parliament in 2001. Following the Conservatives’ defeat in the 2005 election, Cameron was elected leader and attempted to soften the party’s image and broaden its appeal to centrist voters. In the 2010 election the Conservatives emerged as the largest party but without an absolute majority, and Cameron became Prime Minister of a Conservative–Liberal Democrat coalition government. His government focused on cutting the budget deficit, which was widely believed to have reached unsustainable levels following measures taken to counteract the Credit Crunch. It also initiated reforms in education, social security, and health care. He unexpectedly won an overall majority in the 2015 election. He was committed to renegotiating terms of the UK’s EU membership and holding a referendum on whether to remain or leave the EU. Having gained some membership concessions, he called a referendum in June 2016. He led the campaign to remain but lost and immediately resigned as Prime Minister and leader of the party, leaving parliament a few months later. His miscalculation over the outcome of the EU referendum, which he had called primarily to satisfy demands within his party, brought an abrupt end to his political career.