Leaders of the Opposition

Leaders of the Opposition

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Leaders of the Opposition From Churchill to Cameron Edited by Timothy Heppell Lecturer in British Politics, School of Politics and International Studies (POLIS), University of Leeds, UK

Editorial matter, selection, introduction and conclusion Timothy Heppell 2012 All remaining chapters respective authors 2012 Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2012 978-0-230-29647-3 All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission. No portion of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, Saffron House, 6 10 Kirby Street, London EC1N 8TS. Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. The authors have asserted their rights to be identified as the authors of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. First published 2012 by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN Palgrave Macmillan in the UK is an imprint of Macmillan Publishers Limited, registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS. Palgrave Macmillan in the US is a division of St Martin s Press LLC, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010. Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above companies and has companies and representatives throughout the world. Palgrave and Macmillan are registered trademarks in the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries. ISBN 978-1-349-33364-6 DOI 10.1057/9780230369009 ISBN 978-0-230-36900-9 (ebook) This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully managed and sustained forest sources. Logging, pulping and manufacturing processes are expected to conform to the environmental regulations of the country of origin. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12

Contents Acknowledgements Notes on Contributors vii viii 1 Introduction 1 Timothy Heppell 2 Winston Churchill, 1945 51 7 Kevin Theakston 3 Clement Attlee, 1951 5 20 Victoria Honeyman and Timothy Heppell 4 Hugh Gaitskell, 1955 63 33 Timothy Heppell 5 Harold Wilson, 1963 4 and 1970 4 48 Peter Dorey 6 Alec Douglas- Home, 1964 5 68 Michael Hill 7 Edward Heath, 1965 70 and 1974 5 80 Mark Garnett 8 Margaret Thatcher, 1975 9 97 Philip Norton 9 James Callaghan, 1979 80 109 Stephen Meredith 10 Michael Foot, 1980 3 126 Ed Gouge 11 Neil Kinnock, 1983 92 142 Simon Griffiths 12 John Smith, 1992 4 155 Mark Stuart 13 Tony Blair, 1994 7 168 Stuart McAnulla 14 William Hague, 1997 2001 184 Nigel Fletcher 15 Iain Duncan Smith, 2001 3 196 Richard Hayton v

vi Contents 16 Michael Howard, 2003 5 210 Mark Garnett 17 David Cameron, 2005 10 222 Tim Bale 18 Conclusion 237 Timothy Heppell Bibliography 251 Index 268

Acknowledgements I would like to thank the Centre for British Government within POLIS for providing funding for the opposition leadership event that took place at POLIS in July 2010. I would also like to thank the Political Studies Association (PSA) Specialist Group in Political Leadership for their backing and support for this project. Particular thanks must be given to the contributors, both for delivering their papers at the conference and for making my editorial role so straightforward. I would like to thank Amber Stone- Galilee and Liz Blackmore at Palgrave for their help and guidance throughout. Dr Timothy Heppell, Leeds, December 2011 vii

Notes on Contributors Tim Bale is Professor of Politics within the Department of Politics and Contemporary European Studies at the University of Sussex. He is the author of The Conservative Party from Thatcher to Cameron (Polity Press, 2010). Peter Dorey is Reader in British Politics within the School of European Studies at the University of Cardiff. He is the author of The Labour Party and Constitutional Reform: A History of Constitutional Conservatism (Palgrave Macmillan, 2008) and editor of The Labour Governments 1964 1970 (Routledge, 2006). Nigel Fletcher is the founder and chairman of the Centre for Opposition Studies. He is currently researching a doctoral thesis on Parliamentary Opposition at Kings College London. He is the editor of How to be in Opposition: Life in the Political Shadows (Biteback, 2011). Mark Garnett is Lecturer in British Politics within the Department of Politics and International Relations at the University of Lancaster. He has an extensive publishing record on Conservative Party politics, including co- authoring (with Andrew Denham) Keith Joseph (Acumen, 2001) and authoring Splendid! Splendid! The Authorised Biography of William Whitelaw ( Jonathan Cape, 2002). Ed Gouge is Senior Teaching Fellow within the School of Politics and International Studies (POLIS) at the University of Leeds. He co- authored Life after Losing or Leaving for the Association of Former Members of Parliament (2007) with Kevin Theakston and Victoria Honeyman. Simon Griffiths is Lecturer in British Politics within the Department of Politics at Goldsmiths, University of London and a Senior Research Fellow at the Social Market Foundation. He is the co- editor (with Kevin Hickson) of British Party Politics and Ideology after New Labour (Palgrave Macmillan, 2009). Richard Hayton is Senior Lecturer in Politics within the Division of Criminology, Politics and Sociology at the University of Huddersfield. He is the author of Reconstructing Conservatism: The Conservatives in Opposition 1997 2010 (Manchester University Press, 2012). Timothy Heppell is Lecturer in British Politics within the School of Politics and International Studies (POLIS) at the University of Leeds. He is the author of Choosing the Tory Leader: From Heath to Cameron (I. B. Tauris, 2008) and Choosing the Labour Leader: From Wilson to Brown (I. B. Tauris, 2010). viii

Notes on Contributors ix Michael Hill is Lecturer in British Politics within the Department of Education and Social Sciences at the University of Central Lancashire. He has published on Conservative Party politics and party leadership selection. Victoria Honeyman is Lecturer in British Politics within the School of Politics and International Studies (POLIS) at the University of Leeds. She is the author of Richard Crossman: A Reforming Radical of the Labour Party (I. B. Tauris, 2007). Stuart McAnulla is Lecturer in British Politics within the School of Politics and International Studies (POLIS) at the University of Leeds. He is the co- author of Post War British Politics in Perspective (Polity Press, 1999) and the author of British Politics: A Critical Introduction (Continuum, 2006). Stephen Meredith is Principal Lecturer in British Politics within the Department of Education and Social Sciences at the University of Central Lancashire. He is the author of Labours Old and New: The Parliamentary Right of the British Labour Party 1970 79 and the Roots of New Labour (Manchester University Press, 2008). Philip Norton (Lord Norton of Louth) is Professor of British Politics and Director of the Centre for Legislative Studies, within the Department of Politics and International Studies at the University of Hull. He is the author of 27 books covering British politics, the constitution, the Conservative Party and legislatures in comparative perspectives. He was elevated to the House of Lords in 1998. He has served as chairman to the House of Lords Select Committee on the Constitution. Mark Stuart is a Research Fellow within the School of Politics and International Relations at the University of Nottingham. He is the author of Douglas Hurd: The Public Servant (Mainstream, 1998) and John Smith: A Life (Politicos, 2005). Kevin Theakston is Professor of British Government within the School of Politics and International Studies (POLIS) at the University of Leeds. He has published ten books, including Winston Churchill and the British Constitution (Politicos, 2004) and After Number Ten: Former Prime Ministers in British Politics (Palgrave Macmillan, 2010).