In 1961 and 1963, two by-elections took place that changed British politics, and the fortunes of Tony Benn, forever. The first one came after Benn was removed from the House of Commons following the death of his father and Benn's elevation to the peerage. Benn won, but was denied his seat in the Commons. After years of political and legal battles, Benn fought a second by-election and became an MP once more. In this week's podcast, Richard and Lee chart this dramatic time in British political history and discuss the consequences for Benn, for other peers, and for British politics.

In this episode, the following books are mentioned:

'These are the British' by Drew Middleton. Available at: https://amzn.to/3ZAOQq3

'Britain’s Conservative Right since 1945: Traditional Toryism in a Cold Climate' by Kevin Hickson. Available at: https://amzn.to/4k5LFik

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.

From 1980-1983, Michael Foot led the Labour Party through a disastrous and divisive period in its history, culminating in the famous landslide defeat of 1983. That result has marred how people think of Foot ever since. But Richard believes that Foot's long and remarkable career - as a journalist and a politician - deserves a more generous appraisal from historians. Is he right? In this episode we look back at Foot's long life to find out.

In this episode, the following books, journals and articles are mentioned:

'The President's Kill List: Assassination and US Foreign Policy since 1945' by Luca Trenta.

'The Conservative History Journal'. Find out more: https://conservativehistory.wordpress.com/journal/

'The Life and Legacy of Michael Foot' by Richard Johnson, as published in Tribune. Available here: https://tribunemag.co.uk/2021/07/the-life-and-legacy-of-michael-foot

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.

Private members clubs once played a crucial role in British politics, even acting as the organising hubs of the Conservative and Liberal parties. For centuries, politicians of every shade have drunk, dined and gossiped together behind the closed doors of London clubs. But do they still? And do clubs still influence our politics? In this week's episode, Lee and Richard tackle that question and identify the one post-war prime minister who, it seems, has never been a member of any club.

In this episode, the following books are mentioned:

'Ten Years to save the West' by Liz Truss.

'Active and Passive Citizens' by Richard Tuck.

If you are interested in learning more about clubs, we also recommend:

'Behind Closed Doors' by Seth Thévoz.

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.