Since Attlee & Churchill

In this week's episode of Since Attlee & Churchill, Lee and Richard travel back 70 years to Harold Macmillan's only Budget as Chancellor of the Exchequer, and the controversial introduction of Premium Bonds. Was this an ingenious way of encouraging saving, or an immoral state-sponsored lottery? They explore the centuries-old history of state-sponsored lotteries, Macmillan's determination to present Premium Bonds as a respectable form of saving, and the furious reaction from Labour politicians and religious leaders. Harold Wilson denounced the scheme as a 'squalid raffle', while Clement Attlee and the Archbishop of Canterbury were among those who questioned its morality. But with millions of people enthusiastically buying bonds, was Labour fighting a losing battle? And how did Macmillan ultimately get the last laugh? In this podcast, the following books are mentioned: 'The Macmillan Diaries: The Cabinet Years 1950-57'. Available at: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16406/9780230768437 'Social Europe, the Road not Taken: The Left and European Integration in the Long 1970s' by Aurelie Dianara Andry. Available at: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16406/9780192867094 You can now get your own Since Attlee & Churchill mugs here: https://www.sinceattleeandchurchill.com/ EVENT: Come along for a live version of Since Attlee & Churchill at the Buckinghamshire History Festival on 14th November in High Wycombe. Find out more here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/since-attlee-churchill-live-chequers-confidential-tickets-1993124324508?aff=oddtdtcreator Enjoy ad-free listening, bonus episodes and show your support for the podcast by joining the Since Attlee & Churchill Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/SinceAttleeAndChurchill 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 Enjoy listening to the Since Attlee & Churchill podcast? If so, we would be very grateful if you could leave us a 5 star review! *** Since Attlee & Churchill is a podcast about post-war British politics - 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week’s midweek episode of Since Attlee & Churchill, Lee and Richard explore two very different questions about political power. First, Lee examines Reform UK’s slide in the opinion polls and the Conservatives’ return to the lead on the right. After a remarkable opportunity to establish itself as Britain’s dominant right-wing party, has Reform squandered its chance? Then Richard turns to the courts, in particular the progressive hope that rights can be protected by taking them out of everyday politics. Drawing on the experience of Greece during the financial crisis, he asks whether constitutional guarantees of economic and social rights are really worth the paper they are written on — or whether democratic accountability is in fact a more reliable safeguard. You can now get your own Since Attlee & Churchill mugs here: https://www.sinceattleeandchurchill.com NEW EVENT: Come along for a live version of Since Attlee & Churchill at the Buckinghamshire History Festival on 14th November in High Wycombe. Find out more here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/since-attlee-churchill-live-chequers-confidential-tickets-1993124324508?aff=oddtdtcreator Enjoy ad-free listening, bonus episodes and show your support for the podcast by joining the Since Attlee & Churchill Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/SinceAttleeAndChurchill 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 Enjoy listening to the Since Attlee & Churchill podcast? If so, we would be very grateful if you could leave us a 5 star review! *** Since Attlee & Churchill is a podcast about post-war British politics - 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Since Attlee & Churchill, Richard takes us through the extraordinary life of Donald Soper, the Methodist preacher, Christian socialist and pacifist who became one of the most familiar Christian men in post-war Britain, but is now largely forgotten. A lifelong Methodist, Soper devoted seven decades to preaching, engaging hecklers at Tower Hill and Hyde Park, broadcasting on radio and television and championing both Christianity and the causes of the Labour left. He became a trusted confidant of Harold Wilson and even took a seat in the House of Lords. But Soper’s uncompromising Christian pacifism meant he had opposed British rearmament in the face of Nazi aggression, condemned the Allied war effort and made deeply controversial claims about the Holocaust. So was he a courageous man of principle, or had his commitment to his principles led him into not just eccentric but indefensible territory? You can now get your own Since Attlee & Churchill mugs here: https://www.sinceattleeandchurchill.com/ NEW EVENT: Come along for a live version of Since Attlee & Churchill at the Buckinghamshire History Festival on 14th November in High Wycombe. Find out more here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/since-attlee-churchill-live-chequers-confidential-tickets-1993124324508?aff=oddtdtcreator Enjoy ad-free listening, bonus episodes and show your support for the podcast by joining the Since Attlee & Churchill Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/SinceAttleeAndChurchill 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 Enjoy listening to the Since Attlee & Churchill podcast? If so, we would be very grateful if you could leave us a 5 star review! *** Since Attlee & Churchill is a podcast about post-war British politics - 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this mid-week episode of Since Attlee & Churchill, Richard examines the constitutional issues raised by Darren Jones MP’s evidence to Parliament about the failures of Keir Starmer’s mission-led government. Were civil servants obstructing the government’s ambitions, or did the real problems lie with confused responsibilities, muddled leadership and a Prime Minister unwilling or unable to take responsibility for the big decisions? Then, Lee takes us to Alberta, where a series of referendums has raised fundamental questions about immigration, constitutional reform and the province’s place within Canada. Why has separatism become an issue on the Canadian right, and what does this tell us about the differences between British and Canadian conservatism? And what do the arguments over the proposed abolition of the Canadian Senate tell us about the role of upper chambers in Canada, the United States and Britain? NEW EVENT: Come along for a live version of Since Attlee & Churchill at the Buckinghamshire History Festival on 14th November in High Wycombe. Find out more here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/since-attlee-churchill-live-chequers-confidential-tickets-1993124324508?aff=oddtdtcreator You can now get your own Since Attlee & Churchill mugs here: https://www.sinceattleeandchurchill.com/ Enjoy ad-free listening, bonus episodes and show your support for the podcast by joining the Since Attlee & Churchill Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/SinceAttleeAndChurchill 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 Enjoy listening to the Since Attlee & Churchill podcast? If so, we would be very grateful if you could leave us a 5 star review! *** Since Attlee & Churchill is a podcast about post-war British politics - 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In July 1948, just as the National Health Service was coming into being, Aneurin Bevan delivered a speech in which he declared that the Conservatives were “lower than vermin”. But rather than take offence, thousands of Tories decided to embrace the insult - and the Vermin Club was born. In this episode of Since Attlee & Churchill, Richard and Lee explore the curious history of a political organisation that attracted as many as 120,000 members, including a young Margaret Thatcher. Why did Bevan make his infamous attack? How did the Conservatives turn his words into a badge of honour? And why was the Tory leadership so reluctant to embrace a movement that seemed to have captured the imagination of its own supporters? The following books are mentioned in this episode: 'Huntingtower' by John Buchan. Available at: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16406/9780199537860 'Fruit Fly' by Josh Silver. Available at: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16406/9781836431473 NEW EVENT: Come along for a live version of Since Attlee & Churchill at the Buckinghamshire History Festival on 14th November in High Wycombe. Find out more here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/since-attlee-churchill-live-chequers-confidential-tickets-1993124324508?aff=oddtdtcreator Enjoy ad-free listening, bonus episodes and show your support for the podcast by joining the Since Attlee & Churchill Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/SinceAttleeAndChurchill 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 Enjoy listening to the Since Attlee & Churchill podcast? If so, we would be very grateful if you could leave us a 5 star review! *** Since Attlee & Churchill is a podcast about post-war British politics - 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week’s 'Matters of Interest', Lee and Richard share their reflections from Oslo, where they’ve been researching how politicians get their policy advice in different parliamentary systems. After a visit to the Storting, Norway’s parliament, they reflect on the differences between Norwegian and British politics, from proportional representation and party discipline to the relationship between MPs and their constituents. What can we learn from the Norwegian experience, and what might be lost if Britain tried to follow its example? Then Richard tells the story of Samuel Gompers, the British-born trade unionist who became one of the most influential figures in American labour history, but remains largely forgotten in his homeland. NEW EVENT: Come along for a live version of Since Attlee & Churchill at the Buckinghamshire History Festival on 14th November in High Wycombe. Find out more here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/since-attlee-churchill-live-chequers-confidential-tickets-1993124324508?aff=oddtdtcreator Enjoy ad-free listening, bonus episodes and show your support for the podcast by joining the Since Attlee & Churchill Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/SinceAttleeAndChurchill 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 Enjoy listening to the Since Attlee & Churchill podcast? If so, we would be very grateful if you could leave us a 5 star review! *** Since Attlee & Churchill is a podcast about post-war British politics - 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's Since Attlee & Churchill, Richard and Lee explore Labour's long and often fraught relationship with the judiciary. From the Tolpuddle Martyrs and the Taff Vale case to Michael Foot's criticisms of judges in the 1970s, why did the Labour movement so often see the courts as an instrument of the establishment, standing in the way of working-class progress? Richard explains how Labour's historic commitment to parliamentary sovereignty was shaped by the struggle to overcome judicial rulings. Lee, meanwhile, wonders whether Labour's hostility to judges was simply a reflection of the party's political impotence and/or incompetence. They finish by considering why and when Labour's view changed and how the party learned to love the British and European judiciaries. In this episode, the following books are mentioned: 'The House of Commons: An Anthropology of MPs at Work' by Emma Crewe. Available at: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16406/9781474234573 'The Oxford Handbook of Norwegian Politics'. Available at: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16406/9780198888581 Find out more about our new 'Right Honourable Friend' Patreon membership here: https://www.patreon.com/c/SinceAttleeAndChurchill 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 Enjoy listening to the Since Attlee & Churchill podcast? If so, we would be very grateful if you could leave us a 5 star review! *** Since Attlee & Churchill is a podcast about post-war British politics - 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's Matters of Interest, Richard and Lee reflect on the Conservative Party Conference and consider what it says about the role of Kemi Badenoch, with Lee arguing she is — rarely for the Conservatives in recent years — a leader who is wholly secure in her position. But what will Badenoch's strategy for the Conservatives be? Next, Richard introduces the 'sewer socialists' of Milwaukee, the American socialists who built a hugely successful political movement by concentrating less on Marxist theory and more on improving the lives of working people. Find out more about our new 'Right Honourable Friend' Patreon membership here: https://www.patreon.com/c/SinceAttleeAndChurchill 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 Enjoy listening to the Since Attlee & Churchill podcast? If so, we would be very grateful if you could leave us a 5 star review! *** Since Attlee & Churchill is a podcast about post-war British politics - 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When Tony Blair’s New Labour government came to power in 1997, it promised a referendum on changing the voting system for the House of Commons. It then appointed the political grandee Roy Jenkins to work out what an alternative might look like. The Jenkins Commission reported its proposals for a new electoral system in 1998, but the referendum was never held. With electoral reform once again high on the political agenda, in this episode Lee and Richard revisit the last time a Labour government seriously considered changing the way Britain elects its MPs. They look at the long history of the electoral reform debate, from attempts to change the voting system in the early 20th century to Labour’s growing interest in PR in the 1990s. And they examine the Jenkins Commission, Tony Blair’s scepticism about electoral reform, and the political calculations that ultimately saw New Labour quietly abandon its pledge of a referendum. Enjoy ad-free listening, bonus episodes and show your support for the podcast by joining the Since Attlee & Churchill Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/SinceAttleeAndChurchill 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 Enjoy listening to the Since Attlee & Churchill podcast? If so, we would be very grateful if you could leave us a 5 star review! *** Since Attlee & Churchill is a podcast about post-war British politics - 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Lee and Richard discuss Andy Burnham’s speech to the Labour Party Conference. Did it actually represent a meaningful change in Labour’s policies and politics? Or do Burnham's words simply amount to a nebulous set of promises that his government cannot and will not deliver — at least this side of an election? They then turn to a topic that has been at the heart of Labour politics since the party's foundation. As Richard explains, Labour has been on a journey away from being a party of trade unionists and working-class people towards electing MPs and party officials from an increasingly narrow range of social and professional backgrounds. What does it mean for a party originally created to give working people political power to become a middle-class party that seeks to act charitably for the working class, rather than in partnership with the working class? Enjoy ad-free listening, bonus episodes and show your support for the podcast by joining the Since Attlee & Churchill Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/SinceAttleeAndChurchill 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 Enjoy listening to the Since Attlee & Churchill podcast? If so, we would be very grateful if you could leave us a 5 star review! *** Since Attlee & Churchill is a podcast about post-war British politics - 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Labour General Secretary Morgan Phillips famously claimed that the Labour Party owed more to Methodism than to Marxism. But was he right? In this episode of Since Attlee & Churchill, Richard and Lee explore the Methodist tradition and its influence on the Labour movement - including the importance of Methodism in teaching working class people about political organisation and public speaking. Throughout the episode, Richard shares the stories of some of the remarkable Labour politicians whose lives were shaped - even transformed - by Methodism, before wondering whether the debate posed by Phillips’ statement is still relevant to Labour today. In this episode, the following books are mentioned: 'Labour and the Free Churches, 1918-1939' by Peter Catterall. 'The New Dark Ages: The End of Reading and the Dawn of a Post-Literate Society' by James Marriott. Available at: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16406/9781847929518 Enjoy ad-free listening, bonus episodes and show your support for the podcast by joining the Since Attlee & Churchill Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/SinceAttleeAndChurchill 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 Enjoy listening to the Since Attlee & Churchill podcast? If so, we would be very grateful if you could leave us a 5 star review! *** Since Attlee & Churchill is a podcast about post-war British politics - 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Lee and Richard discuss the changing nature of the US–UK relationship, from Churchill and Truman to Burnham and Trump. They ask: what exactly is the “special relationship” between Britain and America? And how does it play out in practice? And should it change? Next, Lee turns to the extraordinary snap election getting underway British Columbia. Why has the Premier called an election two years early, just as the opposition Conservatives are struggling to recover from a leadership crisis? And what does this election tell us about snap elections, constitutional conventions and the powers of the Crown at home and abroad? Enjoy ad-free listening, bonus episodes and show your support for the podcast by joining the Since Attlee & Churchill Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/SinceAttleeAndChurchill 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 Enjoy listening to the Since Attlee & Churchill podcast? If so, we would be very grateful if you could leave us a 5 star review! *** Since Attlee & Churchill is a podcast about post-war British politics - 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Betty Boothroyd was the first woman to become Speaker of the House of Commons - and from the Speaker's chair became one of the most popular and recognisable figures in modern British politics. But what made her so successful in the role? In this episode, Richard and Lee look at Boothroyd’s journey from a working-class childhood in Dewsbury, through failed attempts to enter Parliament and an unlikely spell in American politics, to the Speakership. The episode explores her love of Parliament and its traditions, her battles with Militant, her relationship with New Labour, and why she believed the rough and tumble of the Commons was not something to be sanitised, but one of the great safeguards of British democracy. In this episode, the following books are mentioned: 'The Labour Party and Constitutional Reform: A History of Constitutional Conservatism' by Peter Dorey. Available at: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16406/9781349301966 'The Autobiography' by Betty Boothroyd. Available at: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16406/9780099427049 Enjoy ad-free listening, bonus episodes and show your support for the podcast by joining the Since Attlee & Churchill Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/SinceAttleeAndChurchill 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 Enjoy listening to the Since Attlee & Churchill podcast? If so, we would be very grateful if you could leave us a 5 star review! *** Since Attlee & Churchill is a podcast about post-war British politics - 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this mid-week episode of Since Attlee & Churchill, Lee and Richard broadcast from Canada, where they've spent the week talking to politicos. Lee begins by considering what the Right in the UK, and throughout much of the West, could learn from the current travails of the Canadian Conservatives. Next, Richard considers why Andy Burnham is tackling the inability of Catholics to formally recommend the appointment of Anglican Bishops with the first Bill of his premiership. He asks why this technical change, which will only really affect the prime minister, is being prioritised. Enjoy ad-free listening, bonus episodes and show your support for the podcast by joining the Since Attlee & Churchill Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/SinceAttleeAndChurchill 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 Enjoy listening to the Since Attlee & Churchill podcast? If so, we would be very grateful if you could leave us a 5 star review! *** Since Attlee & Churchill is a podcast about post-war British politics - 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Since Attlee & Churchill takes a funereal turn as Lee and Richard trace where each of Britain's nine deceased post-war prime ministers chose to be buried. Featuring Clement Attlee's memorial in Westminster Abbey, Winston Churchill's return to Bladon, Anthony Eden's dramatic dash home from Florida to die in Wiltshire, Harold Wilson's beloved Scilly Isles - and more. What do these final locations tell us about the individual prime ministers and the changing nature of who holds the highest political office in our land? In this episode, the following books are mentioned: 'The Rage of Party' by George Owers. Available at: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16406/9781408719107 'Sunak at 10: The Last Conservative Prime Minister?' by Anthony Seldon & Tom Egerton. Available at: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16406/9781805462170 Enjoy ad-free listening, bonus episodes and show your support for the podcast by joining the Since Attlee & Churchill Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/SinceAttleeAndChurchill 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 Enjoy listening to the Since Attlee & Churchill podcast? If so, we would be very grateful if you could leave us a 5 star review! *** Since Attlee & Churchill is a podcast about post-war British politics - 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this mid week episode of Since Attlee & Churchill, recorded in the United States, Lee and Richard tackle two live debates spanning the Atlantic. First, Richard makes the case against Britain's council tax system — a tax still based on 1991 property valuations — and considers whether Andy Burnham was right to rule out replacing it with the sort of property tax used in America. What would be the pros, cons and the pitfalls of embracing such a reform? Then Lee turns to a trope doing the rounds online: "America rich, Britain poor." With US midterm campaigns dominated by cost-of-living anxiety, he asks how that squares with claims that Americans enjoy a wealth that Europeans find unimaginable. Could it be tourist selection bias? Or the people jet-setters mix with? And what about the trade-offs involved? Enjoy ad-free listening, bonus episodes and show your support for the podcast by joining the Since Attlee & Churchill Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/SinceAttleeAndChurchill 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 Enjoy listening to the Since Attlee & Churchill podcast? If so, we would be very grateful if you could leave us a 5 star review! *** Since Attlee & Churchill is a podcast about post-war British politics - 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

John Freeman was one of the brightest stars of the Labour Party’s post-war generation. Elected in the 1945 Labour landslide, he rapidly rose through Clement Attlee’s government and became a hero of the Labour left. Some even thought he could one day become Prime Minister. But after resigning from the government alongside Nye Bevan and Harold Wilson, he walked away from Parliament aged just 40. For the remainder of his life, Freeman never settled - he became a pioneering television interviewer, editor of the New Statesman, British High Commissioner to India, Ambassador to the United States, television executive and university professor. In this episode of 'Since Attlee & Churchill', Richard and Lee explore the extraordinary nine lives of one of the most fascinating, enigmatic and easily overlooked figures in modern British political history. In this episode, the following books are mentioned: 'Bonar Law' by R.J.Q. Adams 'A Very Private Celebrity: The Nine Lives of John Freeman' by Hugh Purcell Lee’s book, ‘Coronations & Defenestrations: Choosing (and losing) Tory Leaders’, is now available. Save 30% by using the code AGENDA30 on IndiePubs: https://indiepubs.co.uk/products/coronations-and-defenestrations-1760081414340 Enjoy ad-free listening, bonus episodes and show your support for the podcast by joining the Since Attlee & Churchill Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/SinceAttleeAndChurchill 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 Enjoy listening to the Since Attlee & Churchill podcast? If so, we would be very grateful if you could leave us a 5 star review! *** Since Attlee & Churchill is a podcast about post-war British politics - 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week’s Matters of Interest, Lee and Richard discuss Starmer’s decision to resign as an MP – and look at how his departure is part of a much bigger change in the relationship between former prime ministers and Parliament. Will any future PM do as Arthur Balfour and Edward Heath did and stay in the Commons long after their time in Number 10 is over? Then, Richard turns to the recent debate on the trade-offs between sovereignty and free trade between Canada and the United States. Richard argues that some of the same commentators who diagnosed a 'sovereignty syndrome' in Britain during the Brexit negotiations seem to have done a 180 when it comes to Canada insisting on its right to set its own policies. Is that right? And what would a more consistent reasoned and consistent approach to sovereignty look like? Lee’s book, ‘Coronations & Defenestrations: Choosing (and losing) Tory Leaders’, is now available. Save 30% by using the code AGENDA30 on IndiePubs: https://indiepubs.co.uk/products/coronations-and-defenestrations-1760081414340 Enjoy ad-free listening, bonus episodes and show your support for the podcast by joining the Since Attlee & Churchill Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/SinceAttleeAndChurchill 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 Enjoy listening to the Since Attlee & Churchill podcast? If so, we would be very grateful if you could leave us a 5 star review! *** Since Attlee & Churchill is a podcast about post-war British politics - 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Since Attlee & Churchill, Lee and Richard are joined by Nigel Fletcher, author of 'Churchill's Queen: The Remarkable Friendship That Shaped Our Age', to explore the fascinating relationship between Winston Churchill and Elizabeth II. In his new book, Nigel explores how their relationship developed even before Elizabeth's accession in 1952, with Churchill playing an influential role in her early life. This episode also explores the personal relationship between the two as Prime Minister and Sovereign, their very different ways of understanding the decline of the British Empire and the emergence of the Commonwealth, and the disagreements that punctuated their relationship – including about the Royal Family's name and their London home. The episode ends by reflecting on how different the beginning of Elizabeth II's reign might have been if Clement Attlee had remained Prime Minister instead. 'Churchill’s Queen: The Remarkable Friendship That Shaped Our Age' by Nigel Fletcher is available at: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16406/9781529977257 Lee’s book, ‘Coronations & Defenestrations: Choosing (and losing) Tory Leaders’, is now available. Save 30% by using the code AGENDA30 on IndiePubs: https://indiepubs.co.uk/products/coronations-and-defenestrations-1760081414340 Enjoy ad-free listening, bonus episodes and show your support for the podcast by joining the Since Attlee & Churchill Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/SinceAttleeAndChurchill 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 Enjoy listening to the Since Attlee & Churchill podcast? If so, we would be very grateful if you could leave us a 5 star review! *** Since Attlee & Churchill is a podcast about post-war British politics - 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Lee and Richard debate whether Andy Burnham should call an early general election – and what, if anything, could justify him doing so. Is the conventional wisdom that a Prime Minister is never as popular as they are in their first few months actually true? And what can Burnham learn from the experiences of Theresa May, Gordon Brown, John Major – and even Stanley Baldwin?! Next, Richard looks at the extraordinary GCSE results achieved by Michaela Community School and asks what its success reveals about the principles of a good education. He then reveals some correspondence involving his socialist grandfather from the 1970s, reflecting on whether comprehensive education in practice was living up to the principles of its advocates. Lee’s book, ‘Coronations & Defenestrations: Choosing (and losing) Tory Leaders’, is now available. Save 30% by using the code AGENDA30 on IndiePubs: https://indiepubs.co.uk/products/coronations-and-defenestrations-1760081414340 Enjoy ad-free listening, bonus episodes and show your support for the podcast by joining the Since Attlee & Churchill Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/SinceAttleeAndChurchill 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 Enjoy listening to the Since Attlee & Churchill podcast? If so, we would be very grateful if you could leave us a 5 star review! *** Since Attlee & Churchill is a podcast about post-war British politics - 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.