The Conservative Official Group has existed under several names, such as the Research Study Group (1953-55) and the Policy Study Group (1957-59), and was also known as the Chairman's Committee (1961-63) while headed by Iain Macleod as Party Chairman. It is a gathering of MPs and professionals from the Research Department and Central Office, mainly brought together for the purposes of assembling and drafting a manifesto but advising on other matters too. Its secretary usually comes from the Research Department.

It was constituted for the first time as the Research Study Group in 1953 to prepare for the 1955 General Election, and again from 1957 as the Policy Study Group in preparation for the 1959 General Election, chaired both times by Iain Macleod. As Party Chairman in November 1961 he revived it again: 'The Policy Study Group which does the work of the preparation of the manifesto and sometimes concerns itself with other policy matters has previously been set up about two years after the beginning of a new Parliament. The timing therefore would seem to be right for it to begin to function once more. On both previous occasions I have been Chairman of the Group, and the Prime Minister wishes me to undertake this task again….I propose this time to rename the Policy Study Group the Chairman's Committee.' [CRD 2/52/7: Letter from Iain Macleod, 02/11/1961].

On previous occasions the Committee had been composed almost entirely of ministers; in 1961 it was decided to expand the group to include more MPs, and also people outside Parliament, including Conservative Central Office and the Conservative Research Department. In November 1967 it was re-established as the Official Group, to prepare for the 1970 General Election. This time it remained constituted until August 1974.