Richard and Lee begin a new mini-series looking at the Labour politicians whose lives came to tragic and premature ends, starting with Hugh Gaitskell. After becoming Chancellor just five years into his time as an MP, Gaitskell became the flagbearer for the Labour Right and, in 1955, the successor to Clement Attlee. His first meeting with the voters ended in defeat, but in 1963 he looked to be on the precipice of power. Then his health failed him. How did Gaitskell die? Would he have won the 1964 election? And would a Gaitskell premiership have been different to a Harold Wilson one? Lee and Richard delve into these questions - and more!

In this episode, the following books are mentioned:

'Friends And Rivals: Crosland, Jenkins and Healey' by Giles Radice. Available at: https://amzn.to/4lW4SDt

'Poland: A history' by Adam Zamoyski. Available at: https://amzn.to/3JDDvR6

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.

For this episode, Lee and Richard are joined by Katherine Carter, the curator of Chartwell, Churchill's country home, and the best-selling author of 'Churchill's Citadel'. Their discussion ranges from Churchill's decision to buy a semi-ruined home in rural Kent to the remarkable cast of characters - from Britain and around the world - that he invited to meet with him there. Throughout Churchill's wilderness years the connections he forged, and the information that was shared at Chartwell, changed the course of British history.

Katherine's book, 'Churchill's Citadel', is available now in paperback: https://amzn.to/45Z6hnJ

In this podcast, the following books are mentioned:

'London is the Place for Me: Black Britons, Citizenship and the Politics of Race' by Kennetta Hammond Perry. Available at: https://amzn.to/4mpSGf9

'How not to be a political wife' by Sarah Vine. Available at: https://amzn.to/45r7u79

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.

Alice Mahon may not be a well-remembered figure today, but for 18 years she served as MP for Halifax. In this episode, Lee and Richard discuss how this working class Yorkshirewoman entered the House of Commons and how her left-wing politics were received in Tony Blair's Labour Party. In doing so, they reflect on Blair's style of party management - in which left-wingers like Mahon were tolerated - and how it contrasts with Sir Keir Starmer's approach today. The episode finishes by asking whether, as Mahon apparently claimed, she was the inspiration for the Smokey song 'Living next door to Alice.'

In this episode, the following books are mentioned:

'Shattered Nation: Inequality and the Geography of A Failing State' by Danny Dorling.

'The Man Who Was Saturday: The Extraordinary Life of Airey Neave' by Patrick Bishop.

The Since Attlee & Churchill substack is available at: https://www.sinceattleeandchurchill.com/

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.