Since Attlee & Churchill

In this week's Matters of Interest, Lee looks back at mid-term changes of Prime Minister and asks: do new leaders tend to transform their party's fortunes? Or will Labour MPs hoping for a boost under new Prime Minister Andy Burnham be left disappointed? Next, Richard explores one of the most extraordinary Supreme Court cases in American history, concerning an axe murder at RAF Upper Heyford in Oxfordshire. Deciding who had jurisdi...

Almost twenty years after Tony Blair left Downing Street, how should we judge the record of New Labour? In this Summer Book Club episode, Lee and Richard are joined by historian Glen O'Hara to discuss his new book, 'New Labour, New Britain?' Together they assess the Blair governments of 1997-2007, exploring whether their domestic record has been overshadowed by Iraq and asking what New Labour actually achieved. The discussion range...

This week, Richard and Lee place two of the biggest stories in British politics into their historical context. Richard explores the curious history of MPs who have voluntarily triggered by-elections – upon accepting ministerial appointment, changing parties, or as a form of policy protest – and asks where Nigel Farage's decision to force a contest in Clacton fits within that tradition. Lee then examines Andy Burnham's u...

Throughout the summer, we'll be interviewing authors of recent books that chime with the themes of the podcast.

This week, we're joined by historian and author Alwyn Turner to discuss his latest book, 'A Shellshocked Nation'. In this sweeping portrait of Britain between the wars, Alwyn reveals far more than the political history of the period, uncovering remarkable cultural, technological and social change as well.

As we disc...

As we approach the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, Richard presents a special edition of the podcast exploring one of the world's most famous documents. As he argues, most people know the Declaration of Independence’s opening words about life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. But what about the rest of it? Richard makes the case that far from being an attack on the principle of monarchy, the Declara...

We’ve reached the finale of our miniseries of David Cameron’s gambles with referendums: the vote on whether Britain should remain in, or leave, the European Union. In this episode, Lee and Richard discuss why Cameron agreed to hold a referendum; the circumstances in which he made good on that pledge; the approach he took to negotiations; and how the campaign eventually unfolded. And of course, as a history podcast, the ...

In this episode, Lee and Richard discuss the headline political news of the week: the forthcoming resignation of Keir Starmer. Lee considers why prime ministers so often fail to use the rules and tools at their disposal to resist leadership challenges more aggressively, arguing that nobody has really done so since John Major in 1995. Richard then looks at how Tony Blair managed the pressure on his leadership in 2006–07. Could...

Ten years after the landmark referendum that set Britain on course to leave the European Union, what really went on behind the scenes of the campaign that transformed British politics? In this special episode of Since Attlee & Churchill, Lee and Richard are joined by Matthew Elliott, the former Chief Executive of Vote Leave (and previously Political Director of No to AV), to discuss his new book, 'Ten Years On'. They explore th...

In 2014, the very existence of the United Kingdom was on the ballot when Scotland voted on whether to sever its ties with the rest of the UK. In this episode, Lee and Richard discuss how devolution became the platform from which Alex Salmond and the Scottish National Party made the case for independence; the complacency of the UK Government over the answer Scotland would give; and the scrappy way in which two campaigns made their c...

In this episode, Lee and Richard reflect on attending the installation service for the Order of the Garter at St George’s Chapel, Windsor, where they witnessed the induction of Peter Hennessy. But instead of being misty-eyed about the ceremony, should they have been more critical of this (allegedly) anachronistic hangover? Next, they turn to the Treasury's Green Book, the framework that guides government investment decisions....

Lee and Richard are kicking off a new miniseries looking at the three major referendums David Cameron held as Prime Minister: on the electoral system, on the status of Scotland, and on Britain’s membership of the European Union. This first vote - widely seen as the least significant and also therefore the least well remembered - nevertheless prompted some important questions about how Britain chooses its MPs and its governmen...

After giving a talk at the Manchester Histories Festival, Richard and Lee were joined by listeners to the show for a live Q&A. Questions ranged from how to get into history (especially if you don't go to university) and which TV programmes offer the most accurate representations of politics, to whether First Past the Post will survive and the political career of local Manchester MP Lucy Powell. Thank you to everyone who came al...

In this special live recording of the podcast at the Manchester Histories Festival, Lee and Richard discuss four MPs, all with Manchester connections, who made an important (but largely forgotten) contribution to British politics: John Robert Clynes, Florence Horsbrugh, Harold Lever and Anthony Barber. Who were they? How did they come to represent Greater Manchester constituencies? And what is their overlooked political legacy?&nbs...

To kick off this midweek episode of Since Attlee & Churchill, Richard discusses an article he has recently read about the impact of proportional representation on forming governments in the Netherlands. Should advocates of PR in this country pay more attention to the potential drawbacks of the system they support? Next, Lee reflects on discovering a description of England and its place in an author’s imagination that chim...

This episode focuses on a former Labour MP who tried to return to Parliament in a by-election. If successful, he was expected to launch a challenge to the sitting leader - who was reluctant to see him return. On that occasion, the provocateur wasn’t Andy Burnham, but Tony Benn. In this episode, Richard and Lee discuss the 1984 Chesterfield by-election that Benn contested - how it came about, what it meant for Labour, and how ...

In this mid-week episode, Lee begins by asking why, given the enormous change in the voting habits of British voters over the last decade, we’ve not seen more defections among MPs. Next, Richard wonders why the hit Disney+ show ‘Rivals’ gets so many of the details wrong about 1980s politics - carelessness, or purposeful Americanisation? 

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In the final episode of their strikes miniseries, Richard and Lee look back to one of the defining moments of Margaret Thatcher’s premiership: the year-long battle with the National Union of Mineworkers in the mid 1980s. Many Conservatives feared another showdown with the miners would bring the government down, as it did under Heath. But having spent years preparing for a strike, Thatcher and her ministers were ready - and th...

Lee opens up this mid-week episode by looking at the way politicians increasingly flitter between the Westminster Parliament and devolved bodies. Most prominently at the moment, Andy Burnham - who had 16 years experience as an MP under his belt before becoming Mayor of Greater Manchester - is seeking a return to the Commons. But also in Scotland, Stephen Flynn has traded being an MP to become an MSP. What do these transitions tell ...

In this episode, Richard and Lee fast forward almost half a century from the General Strike to the next time mineworkers walked out across the country. Twice in two years, Conservative Prime Minister Edward Heath went to war with the National Union of Mineworkers (or as he saw it, they went to war with him) and Heath came out the worst on both occasions. He appeared to learn the wrong lessons from, and over-correct for, the mistake...