In this week's Matters of Interest, Richard considers whether the Labour Party's internal rules - especially the power of the National Executive Committee over Parliamentary selections - could stand in the way of Andy Burnham's triumphant return to Parliament. And Lee considers whether the changing electoral landscape of Britain means parties no longer need to really make pacts with one another, because the voters are effectively doing it for them.

Enjoy listening to the Since Attlee & Churchill podcast? If so, we would be very grateful if you could leave us a 5 star review!

Buying books via the Since Attlee & Churchill Bookshop is a great way to support the podcast. Click here to visit the shop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/saac

***

Since Attlee & Churchill is a podcast about post-war British politics - literally since Attlee & Churchill - and is hosted by Lee David Evans, an historian of the Conservative Party, and Richard Johnson, an historian of the Labour Party.

Got a question or comment? Get in touch!

Richard: richard.johnson@qmul.ac.uk

Lee: l.d.evans@qmul.ac.uk

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lee and Richard are starting a brand new mini-series looking at some of the most dramatic and consequential general elections in post-war history: the four contests fought between Conservative leader Edward Heath and Labour leader Harold Wilson between 1966 and 1974. In this episode, they discuss Wilson's gamble on a snap election in March 1966. Boosted by a recent by-election win, Wilson thought it would be the perfect moment to seize the initiative and win a big majority. How did the campaign unfold - and did Wilson get the result he hoped for?

In this episode, the following books are mentioned:

'The Old Man and the Sea' by Ernest Hemingway. Available at: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16406/9780099273967

'White Identity Politics' by Ashley Jardina. Available at: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16406/9781108468602

***

Since Attlee & Churchill is a podcast about post-war British politics - literally since Attlee & Churchill - and is hosted by Lee David Evans, an historian of the Conservative Party, and Richard Johnson, an historian of the Labour Party.

Got a question or comment? Get in touch!

Richard: richard.johnson@qmul.ac.uk

Lee: l.d.evans@qmul.ac.uk

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this Week's Matters of Interest, Richard suggests that the use of the royal prerogative to deprive Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor of his titles of nobility might have inadvertently set a precedent for allowing prime ministers to eject troublesome members from the House of Lords without legislation. And Lee raises the strategy and success of the Lib Dems. Both Lee and Richard have experience of fighting against Britain's traditional third party, but what do they think of how the Lib Dems got to where they are today - and what the future holds?

Enjoy listening to the Since Attlee & Churchill podcast? If so, we would be very grateful if you could leave us a 5 star review!

Buying your books via the Since Attlee & Churchill Bookshop is a great way to support the podcast. Click here to visit the shop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/saac

***

Since Attlee & Churchill is a podcast about post-war British politics - literally since Attlee & Churchill - and is hosted by Lee David Evans, an historian of the Conservative Party, and Richard Johnson, an historian of the Labour Party.

Got a question or comment? Get in touch!

Richard: richard.johnson@qmul.ac.uk

Lee: l.d.evans@qmul.ac.uk

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's episode, Lee and Richard discuss one of the most dramatic events in Labour history: the emergence of Jeremy Corbyn, a man who had never before sat on the front bench, as the landslide winner of the party leadership. It's a story that covers the fallout of the Iraq war and reforms to Labour's leadership rules, Ed Miliband's decision to resign the leadership straight after election defeat and Andy Burnham's following of the Labour whip on Tory welfare measures. So, how did it unfold - and what were the consequences?

In this episode, the following books are mentioned:

'A Scandal in Konigsberg' by Christopher Clark. Available at: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16406/9780241767887

'The House of Lords' by John Wells. Available at: https://amzn.to/3XIWGN4

***

Since Attlee & Churchill is a podcast about post-war British politics - literally since Attlee & Churchill - and is hosted by Lee David Evans, an historian of the Conservative Party, and Richard Johnson, an historian of the Labour Party.

Got a question or comment? Get in touch!

Richard: richard.johnson@qmul.ac.uk

Lee: l.d.evans@qmul.ac.uk

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Richard kicks off this episode by looking at the reasons why ministers have resigned historically and what has prompted people to leave government since Labour came into office last year. Lee and Richard then debate whether politicians should rethink what constitutes grounds for resignation - either to make it more, or less, likely. Next, Lee discusses the most important week so far of Kemi Badenoch's leadership of the Conservative Party and considers what it means for the Conservatives, their fight for survival, and how they will try to return to government.

Enjoy listening to the Since Attlee & Churchill podcast? If so, we would be very grateful if you could leave us a 5 star review!

Buying your books via the Since Attlee & Churchill Bookshop is a great way to support the podcast. Click here to visit the shop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/saac

***

Since Attlee & Churchill is a podcast about post-war British politics - literally since Attlee & Churchill - and is hosted by Lee David Evans, an historian of the Conservative Party, and Richard Johnson, an historian of the Labour Party.

Got a question or comment? Get in touch!

Richard: richard.johnson@qmul.ac.uk

Lee: l.d.evans@qmul.ac.uk

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As we've just had a Budget in the UK, Lee and Richard look back to one of the most famous - and controversial - Budgets in post-war British politics: the 1981 Budget delivered by Geoffrey Howe in Margaret Thatcher's first term as Prime Minister. This Budget provoked a furious backlash among some Conservatives as well as most of the economic establishment. But by luck or by judgement it marked the turning point in Britain's economic fortunes in the 1980s.

In this episode, the following books are mentioned:

'Fight: Inside the Wildest Battle for the White House' by Amie Parnes & Jonathan Allen. Available at: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16406/9780063438644

'Wilt' by Tom Sharpe. Available at: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16406/9780099435488

***

Since Attlee & Churchill is a podcast about post-war British politics - literally since Attlee & Churchill - and is hosted by Lee David Evans, an historian of the Conservative Party, and Richard Johnson, an historian of the Labour Party.

Got a question or comment? Get in touch!

Richard: richard.johnson@qmul.ac.uk

Lee: l.d.evans@qmul.ac.uk

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Richard delves into the Labour rulebook to explain the latest rumours of an attempt to remove Sir Keir Starmer as Labour leader; and Lee looks at the extraordinary volatility of local by-election results which offer good news - and bad - for all of the parties, depending on where you look!

Enjoy listening to the Since Attlee & Churchill podcast? If so, we would be very grateful if you could leave us a 5 star review!

Buying your books via the Since Attlee & Churchill Bookshop is a great way to support the podcast. Click here to visit the shop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/saac

***

Since Attlee & Churchill is a podcast about post-war British politics - literally since Attlee & Churchill - and is hosted by Lee David Evans, an historian of the Conservative Party, and Richard Johnson, an historian of the Labour Party.

Got a question or comment? Get in touch!

Richard: richard.johnson@qmul.ac.uk

Lee: l.d.evans@qmul.ac.uk

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Neil Kinnock’s showdown with Militant Tendency at the 1985 Labour conference is one of the standout moments of his Labour leadership - and of the entire history - of the Labour Party. In this week's episode, Lee and Richard explore the history of ginger groups in the Labour Party; how Militant established themselves in Liverpool in the early 1980s; and how their high-stakes fight with Thatcher's government became a totemic moment for Kinnock and his leadership.

In this episode, the following books are mentioned:

'The Smallest Room in the House: 50 political oddities to read in more than one sitting' by Philip Cowley. Available at: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16406/9781785909702

'Rust Belt Union Blues: Why Working-Class Voters Are Turning Away from the Democratic Party' by Lainey Newman & Theda Skocpol. Available at: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16406/9780231218795

***

Since Attlee & Churchill is a podcast about post-war British politics - literally since Attlee & Churchill - and is hosted by Lee David Evans, an historian of the Conservative Party, and Richard Johnson, an historian of the Labour Party.

Got a question or comment? Get in touch!

Richard: richard.johnson@qmul.ac.uk

Lee: l.d.evans@qmul.ac.uk

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.