Since Attlee & Churchill

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 unopposed march to the Labour leadership and premiership. Looking back at Conservative leaders who reached the top by 'emergence' rather than leadership elections, he considers whether the smoothest transitions have always produced the strongest Prime Ministers and what Burnham's effortless ascent might mean for Labour's future.

Lee’s book, ‘Coronations & Defenestrations: Choosing (and losing) Tory Leaders’, is now available. Save 30% by using the code AGENDA30 on IndiePubs: https://indiepubs.co.uk/products/coronations-and-defenestrations-1760081414340

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.

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 discuss how Britain recovered from the First World War while beginning to confront the approaching horrors of the Second, a recurring theme of our conversation is the country's remarkable political stability. At a time when much of Europe was convulsed by revolution, dictatorship and economic crisis, Britain weathered extraordinary challenges without its constitutional system being fundamentally overturned. Why?

A Shellshocked Nation by Alwyn Turner is available at: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16406/9781805221876

Lee’s book, ‘Coronations & Defenestrations: Choosing (and losing) Tory Leaders’, is now available. Save 30% by using the code AGENDA30 on IndiePubs: https://indiepubs.co.uk/products/coronations-and-defenestrations-1760081414340

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.

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 Declaration reflected the American colonists' belief that George III had failed to protect them from Britain’s Parliament. And as listeners will discover, the Declaration was as much a piece of political theatre as it was an earnest statement of principle.

Lee’s new book, ‘Coronations & Defenestrations: Choosing (and losing) Tory Leaders’, is now available! Save 30% by using the code AGENDA30 on IndiePubs: https://indiepubs.co.uk/products/coronations-and-defenestrations-1760081414340

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.

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 show is peppered with reflections and comparisons on how Britain’s last referendum on Europe in 1975 compares.

In this episode, the following books are mentioned:

'All Out War' by Tim Shipman. Available at: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16406/9780008215170
'Adults In The Room' by Yanis Varoufakis. Available at: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16406/9781784705763

PRE-ORDER: Lee’s book, ‘Coronations & Defenestrations: Choosing (and losing) Tory Leaders’, is now available for pre-order (released 30 June 2026). Save 30% by using the code AGENDA30 on IndiePubs: https://indiepubs.co.uk/products/coronations-and-defenestrations-1760081414340

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 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 Blair have taught Starmer how to hold on for a few more months - or even another year?

Lee’s book, ‘Coronations & Defenestrations: Choosing (and losing) Tory Leaders’, is now available for pre-order (released 30 June 2026). Save 30% by using the code AGENDA30 on IndiePubs: https://indiepubs.co.uk/products/coronations-and-defenestrations-1760081414340

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.