In 1963, Harold Macmillan resigned as prime minister and triggered one of the most dramatic fights for the Tory leadership in modern history. Four men jockeyed for position at the party's annual conference in Blackpool, with an unassuming fourteenth earl eventually coming out on top. Why did Macmillan resign? Who should have succeeded him? And did the 1964 general election, which brought Harold Wilson to power, get decided by these combustible events a year earlier? That's the theme of this week's podcast.

In this podcast, the following talks and books are mentioned:

'The Rule of Law: at home, abroad – and in Westminster' by Lord Wolfson. Available at: https://policyexchange.org.uk/events/the-rule-of-law-at-home-abroad-and-in-westminster/

'People Without Power: the war on populism and the fight for democracy' by Thomas Frank. Available at: https://amzn.to/43yImuS

'Public Servant, Secret Agent: The elusive life and violent death of Airey Neave' by Paul Routledge. Available at: https://amzn.to/4hRXZ3G

Support the show

Since Attlee & Churchill is the podcast all about post-war British political history, hosted by:

Lee David Evans is an historian of the Conservative Party and the John Ramsden Fellow at the Mile End Institute, Queen Mary, University of London. He is on social media @LeeDavidEvansUK.

Richard Johnson is a Senior Lecturer at Queen Mary, University of London, and among his other areas of expertise is an historian of the Labour Party. He tweets at @richardmarcj.

For almost 40 years, Austin Mitchell was a staple of the House of Commons. At the beginning of his career, he was an up-and-coming star with a successful media career. Yet for the vast majority of his time as an MP, he was overlooked by successive leaders and confined to the backbenches. In this episode, Richard and Lee look back on Mitchell's career and consider what lessons can be learned from the life of a political maverick.

In this episode, the following books are mentioned:

'Could it Happen Here? The Day a Prime Minister Refuses to Resign' by Peter Hennessy and Andrew Blick. Available at: https://amzn.to/4iTyD6N

'Trump, the Administrative Presidency, and Federalism' by Frank Thompson, Kenneth Wong, and Barry Rabe. Available at: https://amzn.to/4iBbhD1

Support the show

Since Attlee & Churchill is the podcast all about post-war British political history, hosted by:

Lee David Evans is an historian of the Conservative Party and the John Ramsden Fellow at the Mile End Institute, Queen Mary, University of London. He is on social media @LeeDavidEvansUK.

Richard Johnson is a Senior Lecturer at Queen Mary, University of London, and among his other areas of expertise is an historian of the Labour Party. He tweets at @richardmarcj.

Edward Heath spent more time in the House of Commons after he was Conservative leader (1975-2001) than beforehand. This long period, in which he was a frequent thorn-in-the-side of Margaret Thatcher and critic of her legacy, has become known as 'The Incredible Sulk.' But is that title fair? Why did Heath stick around for so long? What did he hope to achieve? And was he successful? That's the topic of this week's episode.

In this episode, the following books and articles are mentioned:

'Strengthening the Political Constitution' edited by Richard Johnson, published by Police Exchange. Available here: https://policyexchange.org.uk/publication/strengthening-the-political-constitution/

'Why a media savvy British politician-ambassador may be just what the US-UK relationship needs' by Richard Johnson, published by the LSE Blog. Available at: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/usappblog/2025/03/11/the-2024-elections-why-a-media-savvy-british-politician-ambassador-may-be-just-what-the-us-uk-relationship-needs/

'The Road to Inequality: How the Federal Highway Program Polarized America and Undermined Cities' by Clayton Nall. Available at: https://amzn.to/43OnQGs

'Bloody Panico! or Whatever happened to the Tory Party?' by Geoffrey Wheatcroft. Available at: https://amzn.to/4iyeMtT

Support the show

Since Attlee & Churchill is the podcast all about post-war British political history, hosted by:

Lee David Evans is an historian of the Conservative Party and the John Ramsden Fellow at the Mile End Institute, Queen Mary, University of London. He is on social media @LeeDavidEvansUK.

Richard Johnson is a Senior Lecturer at Queen Mary, University of London, and among his other areas of expertise is an historian of the Labour Party. He tweets at @richardmarcj.