Since Attlee & Churchill

In 2010, Britain had its first ever Prime Ministerial debates, with Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Nick Clegg going head-to-head in front of the TV cameras. The idea had first been mooted as early as 1964, when Harold Wilson challenged Alec Douglas-Home to an on-air joust. So why did it take so long for them to happen? What advantages and disadvantages did the debates bring in the 2010 election -...

In this mid-week episode, Richard discusses the rise of ‘Anglo-Gaullism’ as a prescription for Britain’s governing ills. Are its supporters learning the right lessons from de Gaulle’s experience - and do we really need to cross the channel to find political inspiration? Next, Lee responds to the latest flurry of articles about Andy Burnham’s ambitions to lead the Labour Party - but casts doubts on...

There was a time when you could barely tune into the news without the cryptically named ‘1922 Committee’ being in the headlines. The future of Prime Ministers seemed to depend upon its deliberations - as well as who might be forming the next government. But how did this group of Tory MPs, originally founded as a self-help group for newly elected Parliamentarians, acquire its role as one of the key...

Lee kicks off this mid-week episode by sharing how annoyed he was by criticisms of the King’s Christian faith, or apparent lack of it, from some people on the right. In particular, he focuses on how a small number of self-described ‘conservatives’ have turned on the King and the monarchy - and asks what they are really trying to achieve with their attacks. Next, Richard engages with the challenge...

In a special Easter Sunday episode, Lee and Richard discuss two of the most religiously observant, and theologically curious, post-war prime ministers: Harold Macmillan and Tony Blair. Macmillan's teenage years were riddled with crises of faith which left him on the brink of converting to Catholicism. Yet he remained a devout Anglican whose interest in matters of God and the church persisted throu...

In this mid-week episode, Richard discusses how Keir Starmer appears to be unmoored from the history of the office he holds. How concerned should we be about that? And which of his predecessors could he take inspiration from to be a more historically literate leader? Next, Lee wonders what the Morgan McSweeney phone story tells us about how internal government communications operate - do their way...

In the second part of their miniseries on the transition of power from Harold Wilson to Jim Callaghan, Richard and Lee discuss the remarkably talented field of candidates who sought the lease of Number 10 Downing Street in 1976. The incumbent Foreign Secretary, Jim Callaghan, Home Secretary, Roy Jenkins, and Chancellor, Denis Healey, were joined by Michael Foot, Tony Benn and Anthony Crosland. So,...

In this mid-week episode, Lee wonders where the Lib Dems will go from here. Can Ed Davey find a compelling and coherent policy agenda? And will his MPs be happy to be led by a man whose prominence, so far at least, rests on gimmickry? Next, Richard discusses the ‘California effect’ and the ‘Delaware effect’, exploring how policies set in one state can influence those in another. They conclude the...

In the first episode of a new two-part miniseries, Richard and Lee discuss the 1976 transition of power from Harold Wilson to Jim Callaghan. First, they consider the why, when and how of Wilson's resignation. The news that he would be resigning as Prime Minister shocked Westminster and the wider world - so what explains Wilson's decision to leave when he did? And as one of the few post-war PMs not...

In this mid-week episode of Since Attlee & Churchill, Lee and Richard weigh in on the debate, triggered by comments from William Hague, that we risk creating a pipeline of MPs who are more focused on being a local representative than a national leader. Is that fair? And are the two actually mutually exclusive? Next, they discuss whether inequality is the natural way of societies operating and...

Lee and Richard discuss the namesakes of the podcast - Winston Churchill and Clement Attlee. They consider their differences and similarities; how they worked together during the Second World War; and also how they opposed each other for the ten years they spent on opposite sides of the Commons after Victory in Europe day. The episode concludes by wondering what lessons modern politicians can lear...

In their mid-week instalment, Richard and Lee discuss issues that have caught their eye this week. Firstly, the problem of historic buildings, like Union Corner in Glasgow, burning down - and what we should do in response. Protect them? Rebuild them? Or move on? Next, Lee and Richard discuss how economic orthodoxies are often used to narrow the range of political debate and consider if it’s possib...

The bomb planted by the IRA at the Grand Hotel in Brighton in 1984 is one of the near-misses in British political history. Its target, Margaret Thatcher and her Cabinet, all survived, but 5 people died and 33 people were injured. How did the bomb get into the hotel? What damage did it cause? And how did these dramatic and murderous events change British politics? Lee and Richard discuss in this la...

In this mid-week Matters of Interest, Richard discusses how the Danish Social Democrats, a party once confronted with losing its historic working-class base, re-oriented itself to maintain their traditional supporters. What lessons could Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour Party learn from its Scandi counterparts? And Lee reflects on Reform UK’s policy announcement, after the Gorton & Denton by-election...

Having started life as a vicar’s daughter, and casting socially conservative votes in her first years as a Member of Parliament, by the mid-2000s Theresa May had begun embracing the cause of LGBT rights. As party chairman, she recognised the Conservative campaign group for homosexual equality, and then as Home Secretary and Prime Minister she embraced a range of policies advocated for by gay and t...

In this mid-week episode, Lee discusses an article he recently wrote for The Telegraph in which he set out why he has gone from being a ‘Remainer’ in the 2016 referendum to firmly committed to Britain staying out of Europe. And Richard offers his views on the recent debate about TV cameras in the Commons - are they really the cause of the alleged decline in Parliamentary speech-making? Or is the w...

The Poll Tax is one of the defining policy failures in post-war British politics - almost universally dismissed as unfair and often credited with bringing down Margaret Thatcher as Prime Minister. In this week's episode, Lee and Richard talk about the old 'rates' system that Thatcher sought to replace; the gestation of the idea of introducing the poll tax; and how the public and political backlash...

In this midweek episode, Lee and Richard focus on the Palace of Westminster. First, Lee raises the staggering timescales and price tags proposed for refurbishing Parliament. Are either of the plans acceptable to Parliamentarians or the public? He thinks not. Next, Richard shares some evidence he recently submitted on the importance of voting in lobbies in the British Parliament - and what would be...

In recent weeks political advisors - especially those who have departed Keir Starmer's Downing Street - have never been out of the headlines. In this episode, Lee asks Richard about one of the most famous, celebrated and criticised political advisors in post-war politics: Marcia Williams. Having first met Harold Wilson when she was just in her 20s, she remained by the Labour Prime Minister's side...

In this week's Matters of Interest, Richard explores what would happen if Keir Starmer didn't just announce he was going resign, but actually resigned as Prime Minister before a new Labour leader was chosen. The Labour rulebook says one thing, but the British constitution might have other ideas! Then Lee raises political promises and governing reality - including whether or nor our politicians are...

Throughout the past week, frequent reference has been made to the Profumo affair, the benchmark for scandal and outrage in post-war British politics. But what was it? How did it unfold? And does it really deserve its infamous status? In this episode, Lee and Richard look back to the misjudgements of the Secretary of State for War John Profumo in 1961 and how it imploded in 1963 - ruining his caree...

In this mid-week episode, Lee and Richard debate how Labour MPs can trigger a challenge (and maybe even bring about the downfall) of Sir Keir Starmer as Labour Party leader. After disagreeing, they invite rebellious Labour MPs to settle the matter once and for all. They then discuss the Prime Minister's travels, with both defending him from the attack that he is 'Never Here Keir' before exploring...

In this week's episode, Lee & Richard look a little further back than usual to discuss the very first Labour government. Ramsay MacDonald 'kissed hands' upon his appointment as Prime Minister after Stanley Baldwin gambled his premiership on a snap election and lost the Conservatives' majority. But even so, Labour didn't have a majority of their own - and weren't even the largest party. So how...

In a follow-up to the last episode on the history of Prime Minister's Questions, Lee and Richard discuss how Parliament's biggest weekly event works today. What types of questions do MPs ask - and what do they expect to achieve with them? What are the opportunities and risks for party leaders? And is it really true that the public hate the theatrical, adversarial nature of PMQs? Richard and Lee at...

After a special visit to the House of Commons to watch PMQs, Lee and Richard discuss the long history of MPs interrogating the Prime Minister and how its evolved through the premierships of William Gladstone, Harold Macmillan, Jim Callaghan, Tony Blair and others. They finish by reflecting on who performed best in the format - and who flopped. On Wednesday, the next Matters of Interest will consid...