Thatcher's out. But who follows the century's greatest stateswoman? This is a hotpotch period, as Prime Ministers grapple with Maggie's economic legacy, but also have to respond to a series of devastating global crises.
John Major: 1990-1997 (Cons)
Just as Callaghan was overshadowed by his successor, plain John Major was also overshadowed by Thatcher, and, similarly, had to face an energised opposition.
And he didn't do too badly. Sound economic management meant a decline in unemployment and recovery from recession.
Successful involvement in the First Gulf War, and opt-outs from closer European integration raised his standing, as did beginning the Northern Ireland peace process.
However, in 1992 was 'Black Wednesday' where leaving a European currency exchange system crashed the pound and permanently wiped out Major's poll lead. This and continual party sleaze gave the revived Labour Party vast ammunition.
Major couldn't compete with their opposition's energy and in 1997 was crushed on a scale not seen since 1832.
Tony Blair: 1997-2007 (Lab)
Blair's premiership sprawls everywhere. Big government, big spending, big bureaucracy; 'blairism' simply swamped the political system. Yet underneath the flab was a redefining of Britain not seen since the sixties.
Blair made the state great again. Welfare, education and health were entirely overhauled, with vast building programs to boot.
Legislation introduced the minimum wage and expanded police powers, while the army took an active role abroad in places such as Kosovo and Sierra Leone.
The Anglo-American relationship soared, but so did the UK-EU partnership, an unusual balancing act.
Blair embodied the idea of a 'presidential' prime minister. One of the greatest speakers in Downing Street's history - he played the Commons 'like the London Palladium' - his presentation was second-to-none, which resulted in comfortable victories in three consecutive elections.
Those successes inflated Blair's presidentialism further; he was in charge and expected everyone else to fall in.
Decisions were made in a small team and above the heads of ministers, with intense effort devoted to 'spinning' the media favourably.
While this allowed him to overcome crises such as foot-and-mouth, Northern Ireland, and, most crucially, 9/11, it also slowly came back to bite him. Poor decision-making and accountability led to the blunder of the Iraq War.
His hubris also destroyed a very successful working relationship with Chancellor Gordon Brown. Despite winning a third election in 2005, under pressure on those two fronts Blair was forced to bow out in mid-2007. Brown subsequently took over.
Gordon Brown: 2007-2010 (Lab)
A doctoral graduate, an efficient Chancellor, a 'brooding' figure with a monstrous temper, Gordon Brown probably saved the world financial system.
In October 2008, when the markets went into free-fall over subprime loans, 'there was a real possibility of a total banking collapse'.
Brown first correctly judged that a vast bailout was needed to prop up the banking system (£500bn in the UK), and then also convinced much of the western world of that urgent need.
America, France and Germany all followed suit, calming the markets and likely stopping a global societal collapse (although there was no avoiding a global recession.)
However well managed, an economic crash does not lend itself to electoral victory, alas.
Brown had rejected a good election opportunity in 2007, and his chance of winning an election permanently declined after Lehman Brothers collapsed; in 2010 he oversaw an inevitable Labour defeat. But the Conservatives couldn't quite make a majority.
David Cameron: 2010-2016 (Cons with Liberal Democrat coalition until 2015)
A youthful contrast to the sulky Brown, David Cameron was determined to carry a modernised, socially liberal Conservative party into power, and overturn New Labour's 'big government' legacy. However, he had to do it for five years with Liberal Democrat help.
Head of Britain's first official coalition since 1945, Cameron oversaw an unexpectedly stable government that, in order to stabilise the economy post-financial crash, conducted deep austerity measures.
These proved controversial, with the NHS under increasing pressure (despite not being directly affected) and welfare spending sharply reduced. The legacy of austerity will continue to provoke serious dispute for years, although by doing so he successfully reduced the budget deficit - something that often draws praise.
Cameron's other memorable moment was the calling of an EU membership referendum in 2016 in order to secure a 'remain' vote and end divisions in the Conservative Party.
But despite winning a general election the year before, the national mood swung against him with a slim majority in favour of 'Leave'; a shock result. Cameron promptly resigned, triggering a Party leadership election.
Theresa May: 2016-2019 (Cons)
As strong and stable as a magic money tree, Theresa May's time in office connotes a Shakespearean tragedy: started mediocre, and only got worse. Despite promising social change and 'ending austerity', hers was a single-issue premiership.
After doing very little of substance, May confidently called a general election in 2017.
Unexpectedly, however, the Labour Party, under socialist Jeremy Corbyn, rapidly ate into her thin majority, forcing her to return to Parliament humiliated and dependent on some sulky Northern Irish unionists for a majority.
And her own party, torn over Brexit, failed to provide coherent support.
Bereft of ideas, short on allies, presiding over a Party in its worst mood since the mid-1800s, May was stuck in limbo, with power draining from her every time she failed to pass a Brexit Bill. Obviously without popular support, confirmed in damning European Elections in mid-2019, she was forced to resign, having achieved little.
Her successor, however, is another story...
Thanks for reading! We hope you enjoyed this series - it took a lot of research and writing to make it happen. Consider leaving a comment, or listening to our podcast episodes here to show your support.
If you'd like to read further, the sources we used are below. All are well-written and enjoyable, but we'd particularly recommend 'Citizen Clem' - a biography of Clement Attlee - and 'Hope and Glory' - British politics from 1900-2000.
(All quotes and information from these sources or Wikipedia)
- 'Citizen Clem' - John Bew: Clement Attlee biography, especially interesting for World War Two and early-post war politics
- 'Winds of Change' - Peter Hennessey: a story of Britain in the early 60s, as Macmillan reaches his high and low, eventually replaced by Douglas-Home.
- Hope and Glory' - Peter Clarke: a concise, wide-ranging discussion of British politics through the century.
- 'For the Record' - David Cameron: memoirs by David Cameron
- 'A Journey' - Tony Blair: memoirs by Tony Blair
- https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2010/feb/21/gordon-brown-saved-banks
- https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/feb/06/gordon-brown-save-world-uk: both useful resources for understanding Brown and the Bailout
