Betty Boothroyd was the first woman to become Speaker of the House of Commons - and from the Speaker's chair became one of the most popular and recognisable figures in modern British politics. But what made her so successful in the role? In this episode, Richard and Lee look at Boothroyd’s journey from a working-class childhood in Dewsbury, through failed attempts to enter Parliament and an unlikely spell in American politics, to the Speakership. The episode explores her love of Parliament and its traditions, her battles with Militant, her relationship with New Labour, and why she believed the rough and tumble of the Commons was not something to be sanitised, but one of the great safeguards of British democracy.

In this episode, the following books are mentioned:

'The Labour Party and Constitutional Reform: A History of Constitutional Conservatism' by Peter Dorey. Available at: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16406/9781349301966

'The Autobiography' by Betty Boothroyd. Available at: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16406/9780099427049

Enjoy ad-free listening, bonus episodes and show your support for the podcast by joining the Since Attlee & Churchill Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/SinceAttleeAndChurchill

Buying 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

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

***

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

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

In this mid-week episode of Since Attlee & Churchill, Lee and Richard broadcast from Canada, where they've spent the week talking to politicos. Lee begins by considering what the Right in the UK, and throughout much of the West, could learn from the current travails of the Canadian Conservatives. Next, Richard considers why Andy Burnham is tackling the inability of Catholics to formally recommend the appointment of Anglican Bishops with the first Bill of his premiership. He asks why this technical change, which will only really affect the prime minister, is being prioritised.

Enjoy ad-free listening, bonus episodes and show your support for the podcast by joining the Since Attlee & Churchill Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/SinceAttleeAndChurchill

Buying 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

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

***

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

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

This week Since Attlee & Churchill takes a funereal turn as Lee and Richard trace where each of Britain's nine deceased post-war prime ministers chose to be buried. Featuring Clement Attlee's memorial in Westminster Abbey, Winston Churchill's return to Bladon, Anthony Eden's dramatic dash home from Florida to die in Wiltshire, Harold Wilson's beloved Scilly Isles - and more. What do these final locations tell us about the individual prime ministers and the changing nature of who holds the highest political office in our land?

In this episode, the following books are mentioned:

'The Rage of Party' by George Owers. Available at: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16406/9781408719107

'Sunak at 10: The Last Conservative Prime Minister?' by Anthony Seldon & Tom Egerton. Available at: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16406/9781805462170

Enjoy ad-free listening, bonus episodes and show your support for the podcast by joining the Since Attlee & Churchill Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/SinceAttleeAndChurchill

Buying 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

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

***

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

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