Since Attlee & Churchill

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 actually willing to deliver the sorts of policies that would make their rhetoric come true.

Joining the Since Attlee & Churchill Patreon offers ad-free listening and bonus episodes, among other perks, and is also a great way to support the production of the podcast. Find out more at https://www.patreon.com/cw/SinceAttleeAndChurchill

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

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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.

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 career, the lives of many others, and arguably even bringing down the government.

In this episode, the following books are mentioned:

'What Comes Naturally: Miscegenation Law and the Making of Race in America' by Peggy Pascoe. Available at: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16406/9780199772353

'The Gathering Storm' by Winston Churchill. Available at: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16406/9780141441726

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, 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 what his travel itinerary says about the government and its priorities for Britain in the world.

Joining the Since Attlee & Churchill Patreon offers ad-free listening and bonus episodes, among other perks, and is also a great way to support the production of the podcast. Find out more at https://www.patreon.com/cw/SinceAttleeAndChurchill

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 - 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 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 did MacDonald become Prime Minister? What did his government achieve? How long did it last? And does this government have a legacy worth celebrating?

In this episode, the following books are mentioned:

'Waiting for the Wave: The Reform Party and the Conservative Movement' by Tom Flanagan

'Britain’s First Labour Government' by John Shepherd & Keith Laybourn

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 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 attempt to answer those questions, and more.

Joining the Since Attlee & Churchill Patreon offers ad-free listening and bonus episodes, among other perks, and is also a great way to support the production of the podcast. Find out more at https://www.patreon.com/cw/SinceAttleeAndChurchill

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 - 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.

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 consider whether PMQs really matters, what its role is, if its unique to Britain and whether proposals for reform have any merit.

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

In this episode, the following books are mentioned:

''The Last Leonardo: A Masterpiece, a Mystery and the Dirty World of Art' by Ben Lewis. Available at: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16406/9780008313449

'Heroes and Contemporaries' by Jonathan Aitken

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 shares his insights on whether, throughout history, it's paid off to be a 'traitor' by defecting away from your political party or a 'faithful' sticking with it - and finds it typically depends to whom you defect. And Lee discusses some newly published research into who joins our political parties - with surprises about, as well as good and bad news for, almost all of Britain's parties.

Joining the Since Attlee & Churchill Patreon offers ad-free listening and bonus episodes, among other perks, and is also a great way to support the production of the podcast. Find out more at https://www.patreon.com/cw/SinceAttleeAndChurchill

You can find the research into party members here: https://esrcpartymembersproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/britains-party-members-bale-et-al.pdf

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 - 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.

Earlier this year, Sir Patrick Duffy died at the remarkable age of 105. As well as being a long-serving MP, with service in the Commons from the 1960s to the 1990s, Duffy saw politics first-hand from the General Strike of 1926 to the Starmer government of today. In this episode, Richard and Lee discuss his life and sometimes complex politics, reflecting on the lessons we can all learn from his more than a century on this planet.

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

In this episode, the following books are mentioned:

'The Sparrow's Flight' by Lord Hailsham

'Radicals: The Working Classes and the Making of Modern Britain' by Geoff Andrews. Available for pre-order: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16406/9780300265897

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 puts David Lammy's reforms to jury trials into the historic context of the Labour movement's fight for more trials by jury. And Lee comments on the approach Kemi Badenoch is taking to recruiting new members of the House of Lords - and commends her focus on creating interesting peers rather than satisfying short-term party political challenges.

Joining the Since Attlee & Churchill Patreon offers ad-free listening and bonus episodes, among other perks, and is also a great way to support the production of the podcast. Find out more at https://www.patreon.com/cw/SinceAttleeAndChurchill

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 - 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.

One of the most iconic pictures in post-war British politics sees six Prime Ministers - Harold Macmillan, Alec Douglas-Home, Harold Wilson, Edward Heath, Jim Callaghan and Margaret Thatcher - all standing alongside the Queen. The occasion was one of Elizabeth II's rare visits to Number 10 Downing Street, on this occasion marking 250 years since the house became the official residence of the Prime Minister. In this episode, Lee and Richard discuss the remarkable night they were all reunited and consider what the Queen's various prime ministers were up to in the mid-1980s.

In this episode, the following books are mentioned:

'Margaret Thatcher: Life After Downing Street' by Peter Just. Available at: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16406/9781785909207

'Time and Chance' by James Callaghan

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.