Since Attlee & Churchill

In this midweek episode, Lee and Richard focus on the Palace of Westminster. First, Lee raises the staggering timescales and price tags proposed for refurbishing Parliament. Are either of the plans acceptable to Parliamentarians or the public? He thinks not. Next, Richard shares some evidence he recently submitted on the importance of voting in lobbies in the British Parliament - and what would be lost if it was swapped for voting in the chamber or, worse, remotely.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/SinceAttleeAndChurchillEnjoy 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

In recent weeks political advisors - especially those who have departed Keir Starmer's Downing Street - have never been out of the headlines. In this episode, Lee asks Richard about one of the most famous, celebrated and criticised political advisors in post-war politics: Marcia Williams. Having first met Harold Wilson when she was just in her 20s, she remained by the Labour Prime Minister's side until the end of his political life. What was the true nature of their relationship? Did they have an affair? And how did she become so invaluable to Wilson? Those questions, and more, are discussed in this episode.In this episode, the following books are mentioned:'Wyndham and Children First' by Lord Egremont.'Making Do: Britons and the Refashioning of the Postwar World' by Susan Carruthers. Available at: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16406/9781009464284Enjoy ad-free listening, bonus episodes and show your support for the podcast by joining the Since Attlee & Churchill Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/SinceAttleeAndChurchillBuying 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/saacEnjoy listening to the Since Attlee & Churchill podcast? If so, we would be very grateful if you could leave us a 5 star review!

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/SinceAttleeAndChurchillEnjoy 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

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/16406/9780141441726Enjoy ad-free listening, bonus episodes and show your support for the podcast by joining the Since Attlee & Churchill Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/SinceAttleeAndChurchillBuying 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/saacEnjoy listening to the Since Attlee & Churchill podcast? If so, we would be very grateful if you could leave us a 5 star review!

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/SinceAttleeAndChurchillEnjoy 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

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 LaybournEnjoy ad-free listening, bonus episodes and show your support for the podcast by joining the Since Attlee & Churchill Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/SinceAttleeAndChurchillBuying 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/saacEnjoy listening to the Since Attlee & Churchill podcast? If so, we would be very grateful if you could leave us a 5 star review!

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/SinceAttleeAndChurchillEnjoy 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

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/SinceAttleeAndChurchillIn 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 AitkenBuying 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/saacEnjoy listening to the Since Attlee & Churchill podcast? If so, we would be very grateful if you could leave us a 5 star review!

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