Leaders of the Opposition This page intentionally left blank 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

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Acknowledgements vii Notes on Contributors viii

1 Introduction 1 Timothy Heppell 2 , 1945–51 7 Kevin Theakston 3 Clement Attlee, 1951–5 20 Victoria Honeyman and Timothy Heppell 4 , 1955–63 33 Timothy Heppell 5 , 1963–4 and 1970–4 48 Peter Dorey 6 Alec Douglas- Home, 1964–5 68 Michael Hill 7 , 1965–70 and 1974–5 80 Mark Garnett 8 , 1975–9 97 Philip Norton 9 , 1979–80 109 Stephen Meredith 10 , 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 , 1997–2001 184 Nigel Fletcher 15 , 2001–3 196 Richard Hayton

v vi Contents

16 , 2003–5 210 Mark Garnett 17 , 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 contribu- tors, 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) (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).

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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 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).