This week, Richard delves into the Labour rulebook to explain the latest rumours of an attempt to remove Sir Keir Starmer as Labour leader; and Lee looks at the extraordinarily volatility of local by-election results which offer good news - and bad - for all of the parties, depending on where you look!

Enjoy listening to the Since Attlee & Churchill podcast? If so, we would be very grateful if you could leave us a 5 star review!

Buying your 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

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Since Attlee & Churchill is a podcast about post-war British politics - literally 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.

Got a question or comment? Get in touch!

Richard: richard.johnson@qmul.ac.uk

Lee: l.d.evans@qmul.ac.uk

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Neil Kinnock’s showdown with Militant Tendency at the 1985 Labour conference is one of the standout moments of his Labour leadership - and of the entire history - of the Labour Party. In this week's episode, Lee and Richard explore the history of ginger groups in the Labour Party; how Militant established themselves in Liverpool in the early 1980s; and how their high-stakes fight with Thatcher's government became a totemic moment for Kinnock and his leadership.

In this episode, the following books are mentioned:

'The Smallest Room in the House: 50 political oddities to read in more than one sitting' by Philip Cowley. Available at: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16406/9781785909702

'Rust Belt Union Blues: Why Working-Class Voters Are Turning Away from the Democratic Party' by Lainey Newman & Theda Skocpol. Available at: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16406/9780231218795

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In the latest Matters of Interest, Richard tears apart the complaints made by some employees in government about the condition of Number 10 Downing Street, opening up a discussion about the refurbishments of the building over the years and the power of Number 10 versus other government departments. Then Lee takes issue with a recent report about different types of 'reading' - including digital reading and audiobooks - and makes the case for books as the pinnacle of literacy.

Buying your books via the Since Attlee & Churchill Bookshop is a great way to support the podcast. Click here to visit our store: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/saac

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's podcast, Richard and Lee are joined by historian Tom Chidwick to discuss the life and times of Dick Taverne. In the early 1970s, the Labour MP for Lincoln was deselected by his party over Europe; in response, he resigned his seat and stood in a spectacular by-election. When voters went to the polls, Taverne achieved what John Curtice has called 'the most significant by-election success ever’. Why was he deselected? How did he win? And what were the longer-term consequences for Taverne - and British politics?

In this episode, the following books are mentioned:

'Can the Welfare State Survive?' by Andrew Gamble. Available at: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16406/9780745698748

'Gladstone' by Roy Jenkins. Available at: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16406/9781509868292

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In their regular mid-week episode, Lee and Richard clash on the current scandal engulfing the BBC before Richard shares some anonymous correspondence from the heart of Whitehall, exposing some of the challenges we face in being an effectively-governed nation.

Enjoy listening to the Since Attlee & Churchill podcast? If so, we would be very grateful if you could leave us a 5 star review!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, released on Remembrance Sunday, Lee and Richard discuss four titanic politicians of the twentieth century shaped by their experience of war. Clement Attlee and Harold Macmillan both served with distinction in the First World War, and Denis Healey and Edward Heath in the Second. This podcast looks at what their contribution to the war looked like - including their many brushes with death - before reflecting on the significance of their service on their political lives.

In this episode, the following books are mentioned:

'The British General Election of 2019' by multiple authors. Available at: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16406/9783030742560

'The Land in Winter' by Andrew Miller. Available at: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16406/9781529354300

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In this week's Matters of Interest, Richard shares some remarkable examples of leading British politicians who have chosen not to go by the name they were given at birth. Who did it? And why? Then Lee discusses the recent reforms to political donations in Australia, with a lively discussion about the need for - and the pitfalls of - reforming the way we fund our political parties.

Did you know that there is a Since Attlee & Churchill Substack, including bonus podcasts? Find it here: https://www.sinceattleeandchurchill.com/

Buying your 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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's episode, Lee and Richard discuss the biggest political scandal of a generation: the publication of MPs' expenses in 2009. Reported on by the Daily Telegraph after the sensational leak of over a million and a half documents from Parliament, the scandal captured the attention of the nation. From duck houses to moat cleaning, phantom mortgages to packets of biscuits - every detail seemed to fascinate the public and provoke fury towards MPs. How did it unfold? Was it as bad as it seemed? And are we still living with the consequences today?

In this episode, the following books are mentioned:

'The Conservative Party After Brexit' by Tim Bale. Available at: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16406/9781509546015

'No Expenses Spared' by Robert Winnett & Gordon Rayner. Available at: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16406/9781409093664

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