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 the party hierarchy handled it - before asking what lessons it has to offer for Keir Starmer, Andy Burnham and the voters of Makerfield.
In this episode, the following books are discussed:
'A Prime Minister on Prime Ministers' by Harold Wilson
'Resisting Reagan: Liberal Strategies in a Conservative Age' by Joe Ryan-Hume. Available at: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16406/9780700638789
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