Sir Robert Peel, 2nd Baronet (5 February 1788 – 2 July 1850), was a British Conservative statesman who twice was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1834–1835, 1841–1846), and simultaneously was Chancellor of the Exchequer (1834–1835). He previously was Home Secretary twice (1822–1827, 1828–1830). He is regarded as the father of modern British policing, owing to his founding of the Metropolitan Police while he was Home Secretary. Peel was one of the founders of the modern Conservative Party.

The son of a wealthy textile manufacturer and politician, Peel was the first prime minister from an industrial business background. He earned a double first in classics and mathematics from Christ Church, Oxford. He entered the House of Commons in 1809 and became a rising star in the Tory Party. Peel entered the Cabinet as Home Secretary (1822–1827), where he reformed and liberalised the criminal law and created the modern police force, leading to a new type of officer known in tribute to him as "bobbies" and "peelers". After a brief period out of office he returned as Home Secretary under his political mentor the Duke of Wellington (1828–1830), also serving as Leader of the House of Commons. Initially a supporter of continued legal discrimination against Catholics, Peel reversed his stance and supported the Roman Catholic Relief Act 1829 and the 1828 repeal of the Test Act, writing, "though emancipation was a great danger, civil strife was a greater danger".

After being in opposition from 1830 to 1834, he became prime minister in November 1834. Peel issued the Tamworth Manifesto in December 1834, laying down the principles upon which the modern Conservative Party is based. His first ministry was a minority government, dependent on Whig support and with Peel serving as his own Chancellor of the Exchequer. After only four months, his government collapsed and he was Leader of the Opposition during the second Melbourne ministry (1835–1841). Peel became prime minister again after the 1841 general election. His second ministry lasted five years. He cut tariffs to stimulate trade, replacing the lost revenue with a 3 per cent income tax. He played a central role in making free trade a reality and set up a modern banking system. His government's major legislation included the Mines and Collieries Act 1842, the Income Tax Act 1842, the Factories Act 1844 and the Railway Regulation Act 1844. Peel's government was weakened by anti-Catholic sentiment following the controversial increase in the Maynooth Grant of 1845. After the outbreak of the Great Irish Famine, his decision to join with Whigs and Radicals to repeal the Corn Laws led to his resignation as prime minister in 1846. Peel remained an influential MP and leader of the Peelite faction until his death in 1850.

Peel often started from a traditional Tory position in opposition to a measure, then reversed his stance and became the leader in supporting liberal legislation. This happened with the Test Act, Catholic emancipation, the Reform Act, income tax and, most notably, the repeal of the Corn Laws. The historian A. J. P. Taylor wrote: "Peel was in the first rank of 19th-century statesmen. He carried Catholic Emancipation; he repealed the Corn Laws; he created the modern Conservative Party on the ruins of the old Toryism."

Robert Peel was born on 5 February 1788 at Chamber Hall in Bury, Lancashire, to the industrialist and parliamentarian Sir Robert Peel, 1st Baronet, and his wife, Ellen Yates. The elder Robert was one of the richest textile manufacturers of the early Industrial Revolution and had a distinguished career as a member of parliament, even being consulted on financial matters by Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger.

The family's history dates back to the 17th century, where it descends from yeomen in Lancashire. In 1731, a certain William Peele, bought a little estate called Peelfold which it was later inherited by his father. It was the elder Robert who changed the family name from "Peele" to "Peel", remarking that 'it was of no use as it did not add to the sound.' The family moved from Lancashire to Drayton Manor near Tamworth, Staffordshire; the manor house has since been demolished, and the site occupied by Drayton Manor Theme Park.

Before the end of the year, Peel was motherless and according to historian Norman Gash "the warmth and care that a mother, or even in happier circumstances a stepmother, might have given them." Peel's father placed high standards for his children and raised the Peel boys on a discipline of hard work and proper duty. It was said that during the younger Peel's baptism, his father got down on his knees and dedicated his son's life to the country's service. From an early age, it was apparent that Robert was “the ablest of the family.” His father once asked a tutor if his son would become a “William Pitt,” to which the tutor replied, “I hope so… but Robert Peel will be Robert Peel.” He would later recall his father saying, “Bob, you dog, if you are not prime minister some day, I’ll disinherit you.”

Peel received his early education from a clergyman tutor in Bury and at a clergyman's local school in Tamworth. There he was schooled in classical studies and emerged as a brilliant student among his peers. The broad park and surrounding countryside of Drayton instilled in Peel a love for the outdoors and led Peel to take up shooting. He may also have attended Bury Grammar School or Hipperholme Grammar School, though evidence for either is anecdotal rather than textual. In Bury, Peel was exposed to "ridicule and jealousy" due to the family's standing and according to his brother, Lawrence, Robert 'would walk a mile around rather than encounter the rude jests of the Bury lads'. Peel senior knew the value of elite education and social networks and was “too shrewd not to see the advantages of coming into contact at an impressionable age and on equal terms with the future governing class of England." Accordingly, Robert was sent to Harrow in 1800 at the age of twelve, making him the first of his siblings to leave home. He started at Harrow School in February 1800.