The 1950 general election, the second contest between Clement Attlee and Winston Churchill, came four and a half years after Labour's landslide victory at the end of the Second World War. In many ways, this election was a referendum on the agenda implemented by Attlee as prime minister, from the NHS to the nationalisation of 20% of the economy. For Winston Churchill, 1950 was an opportunity to try and reclaim power after his shock rejection in 1945. Throughout, there was drama and the laying of the foundations for post-war British politics. In this podcast, Lee and Richard chart the election battle from the party's preparations through to the results and aftermath.

The following books are mentioned in this episode:

'Patrick Gordon Walker: A Political and Family History' by Alan Gordon Walker. Available here: https://amzn.to/3GOvzvd

'The Diary of a Nobody' by George & Weedon Grossmith. Available here: https://amzn.to/459Ob1W

Support the show

Since Attlee & Churchill is the podcast all about post-war British political history, hosted by:

Lee David Evans is an historian of the Conservative Party and the John Ramsden Fellow at the Mile End Institute, Queen Mary, University of London. He is on social media @LeeDavidEvansUK.

Richard Johnson is a Senior Lecturer at Queen Mary, University of London, and among his other areas of expertise is an historian of the Labour Party. He tweets at @richardmarcj.

The 1945 general election is undeniably one of the key turning points in modern British history. It's also the first of three general elections that the namesakes of this podcast - Winston Churchill and Clement Attlee - fought against each other as leaders of their parties.

In this first of three special episodes charting the Attlee vs Churchill elections, Lee and Richard look back at the contest that took place 80 years ago this month - featuring scuffles about when the election should be; rogue radio broadcasts that undermined the Tory campaign; and the curious history of 'Wakes Weeks' which saw polling day delayed in parts of the north and Scotland. The podcasts concludes by reflecting on the enormous consequences of this election for Britain.

In this episode, the following books are mentioned:

'Election '45: Reflections on the Revolution in Britain' by Austin Mitchell.

'Conservatism (Short Histories)' by Mark Garnett

Support the show

Since Attlee & Churchill is the podcast all about post-war British political history, hosted by:

Lee David Evans is an historian of the Conservative Party and the John Ramsden Fellow at the Mile End Institute, Queen Mary, University of London. He is on social media @LeeDavidEvansUK.

Richard Johnson is a Senior Lecturer at Queen Mary, University of London, and among his other areas of expertise is an historian of the Labour Party. He tweets at @richardmarcj.

In 1997, Tony Blair returned Labour to power with a landslide majority. But many people who hoped for radical change were left disappointed when he announced that Labour would continue with the Tory plan to scrap the Lone Parent Premium, a welfare top up for single parents. Lone parents protested; Labour MPs revolted; and Blair had to decide whether to plough on with the measure or surrender to his backbenchers.

In the week after Keir Starmer buckled under pressure from his MPs over the Personal Independent Payment, Lee and Richard look at Blair's approach to a similar dilemma almost three decades ago.

In this episode, the following books are mentioned:

'Queen James: The Life and Loves of Britain’s First King' by Gareth Russell. Available at: https://amzn.to/44vEJEN

'Storyteller: The Life of Roald Dahl' by Donald Sturrock. Available at: https://amzn.to/4lcmA5N

Support the show

Since Attlee & Churchill is the podcast all about post-war British political history, hosted by:

Lee David Evans is an historian of the Conservative Party and the John Ramsden Fellow at the Mile End Institute, Queen Mary, University of London. He is on social media @LeeDavidEvansUK.

Richard Johnson is a Senior Lecturer at Queen Mary, University of London, and among his other areas of expertise is an historian of the Labour Party. He tweets at @richardmarcj.