Removing and Replacing Prime Ministers ...... The Long View ... today on the wireless

Now I am a great fan of the Long View on Radio 4, which takes a story in the news and examines historical parallels.

The Sun Shining through the Fog, 1904

And so of course with the recent resignation of a Prime Minister, who seemed reluctant to leave, and a subsequent leadership contest, this episode seems highly appropriate. 

"In this edition of The Long View Jonathan Freedland finds historical comparisons to the current Tory leadership contest, considering moments in history when the Conservative Party has removed a prime minister and sought a new figure for Number 10.

He is first joined by Professor Laura Beers to discuss the removal of David Lloyd George in October 1922. 

Lloyd George, a Liberal, had led a War Time Coalition consisting of majority Conservative MPs. A charismatic figure, Lloyd George had a reputation as an innovator and a doer, but his time as PM was also plagued by scandal. Unhappy with the PMs economics, his foreign policy and his reputation, Conservative MPs met at the Carlton Club to decide whether to abandon the coalition and oust Lloyd George. Some of the loudest criticisms came from rising star and future PM, Stanley Baldwin who described Lloyd George as a 'dynamic force'.

The Houses of Parliament, sunset, 1903

Fast forward 40 years to 1963 and the Party is once again seeing a change of leader. This time after Harold Macmillan decides to resign on the eve of the Tory Conference, citing ill health. 

The non-democratic 'soundings' procedure, run by the party elite, settles on Alec Douglas-Home to be leader, refusing to back any of the favourites. The choice causes controversy and will have a lasting impact on how future leaders of the party are selected.

Presented by Jonathan Freedland, Produced by Sam Peach, Readings by David Hounslow"*

Pictures; The Sun Shining through the Fog, Claude Monet, 1904, Musée d'Orsay, Paris, and The Houses of Parliament, sunset, Claude Monet, 1903, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

*Removing and Replacing Prime Ministers, The Long View, Radio 4, https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m00193n3