Category: 20th century history

A map of Buckinghamshire, that includes the three Chiltern Hundreds of Stoke, Desborough and Burnham in the south of the county
17th Century history, 14th Century history, 15th Century History, 16th Century history, 18th Century history, 19th Century history, 20th century history, Constituencies, Elections, Georgian, Interregnum, Legislative History, Medieval, Modern, Parliamentary Life, Stuart, Tudor, Victorian

How does an MP resign? The Chiltern Hundreds & the Manor of Northstead

Have you just heard that an MP has resigned by ‘taking the Chiltern Hundreds’? Our Senior Research Fellow, Dr Martin Spychal, explains the practice and explores its historical context… MPs are not allowed to resign from Parliament. However, a parliamentary loophole exists that allows an MP to vacate their seat by asking the chancellor of the exchequer to disqualify them from sitting in the Commons. … Continue reading How does an MP resign? The Chiltern Hundreds & the Manor of Northstead

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Conferences, Seminars and Events, 20th century history, Art, Fashion and Material Culture, Diplomacy and International Relations, Modern, Social history

Interwar literature, politics and East-central Europe

At the IHR Parliaments, Politics and People seminar on Tuesday 16 June, Dr Juliette Bretan of Cambridge University will be discussing literary depictions of, and new proposals regarding, the politics of British involvement in East-central Europe during the interwar period. The seminar takes place on 16 June 2026, between 5:30 and 6:30 p.m. It is fully ‘hybrid’, which means you can attend either in-person in London … Continue reading Interwar literature, politics and East-central Europe

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Contemporary History, 20th century history, History of Parliament Trust, Legislative History, LGBTQ+ History, Margaret Thatcher, Modern, Oral history, Social history, Tony Blair

Section 28: Memories from the Oral History Archive

Section 28 of the Local Government Act, 1988, was one of the most controversial pieces of legislation in Britain at the end of the twentieth century. To mark the anniversary of its introduction, Alfie Steer has delved into the oral history archive to explore MPs’ memories of it. Section 28 (otherwise known as Clause 28) was first included in the 1988 Local Government Act as … Continue reading Section 28: Memories from the Oral History Archive

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Modern, 20th century history, Economic history, Legislative History, Parties, Ramsay MacDonald, Social history, Stanley Baldwin

The 1926 General Strike and Parliamentary Democracy

One hundred years ago today, the 1926 General Strike broke out in Britain. To mark the anniversary, Alfie Steer has explored its significance for Britain’s parliamentary system. In 1925, the private owners of Britain’s mining industry (nicknamed the ‘sick man of British capitalism’, [Miliband, p.121]) tried to revive its international competitiveness by proposing a series of drastic wage cuts and an extension in working hours. … Continue reading The 1926 General Strike and Parliamentary Democracy

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Contemporary History, 20th century history, Oral history, Parliamentary Life

‘You could drink to your heart’s content’: Drinking in Parliament, a hangover from the 1970s?

In a recent interview, the newly elected MP for Gorton and Denton, Hannah Spencer, has criticised fellow-MPs drinking whilst in Westminster. For Emma Peplow, head of Contemporary History, these comments led her straight to the HPT’s oral history archive. Hannah Spencer is not the first new MP to remark disapprovingly on Parliament’s drinking culture. From the viewpoint of our oral history archive, however, MPs’ tendencies … Continue reading ‘You could drink to your heart’s content’: Drinking in Parliament, a hangover from the 1970s?

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Victorian Commons, 19th Century history, 20th century history, Alec Douglas-Home, Andrew Bonar Law, Archibald Primrose, 5th earl of Rosebery, Arthur Wellesley, 1st duke of Wellington, Benjamin Disraeli, Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey, George Canning, George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th earl of Aberdeen, Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston, John Russell, 1st Earl Russell, Modern, Parliamentary Life, Robert Banks Jenkinson, 2nd earl of Liverpool, Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd marquess of Salisbury, Robert Walpole, Victorian, William Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd duke of Portland, William Ewart Gladstone, Winston Churchill

Prime Ministers in the House of Lords

The retirement of Lord Salisbury in 1902 marked the end of the last premiership undertaken from the House of Lords, but in the nineteenth century, more prime ministers led governments from the Lords than the Commons. In this article, Dr Kathryn Rix, of our House of Commons, 1832-1945 project, explores the history and significance of prime ministers in the Lords. When Anthony Trollope wrote his … Continue reading Prime Ministers in the House of Lords

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Conferences, Seminars and Events, 18th Century history, 19th Century history, 20th century history, Art, Fashion and Material Culture, Elections, Georgian, History of Parliament Trust, Medieval, Modern, Victorian

Re-membering the medieval parliament, 1769-1886

At the IHR Parliaments, Politics and People seminar on Tuesday 17 March, Dr Sarah Wride of the University of York and the Institute of Historical Research, will be discussing the political memory of medieval parliaments in debates about parliamentary reform between 1769 and 1886. The seminar takes place on 17 March 2026, between 5:30 and 6:30 p.m. It is fully ‘hybrid’, which means you can … Continue reading Re-membering the medieval parliament, 1769-1886

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Modern, 20th century history, Military history, Parliamentary Life, Scottish History, Social history

‘One of the greatest Rugby players who ever sat in the House’: Pat Munro MP

With the 2026 Six Nations Championship in full swing, our latest article from Dr Kathryn Rix looks at one of the most notable rugby players to become an MP, the former Scotland captain, Patrick (‘Pat’) Munro (1883-1942), who was capped 13 times for Scotland. Pat Munro made his debut as a Scotland rugby international on 4 February 1905 at Inverleith, Edinburgh, taking on Wales in … Continue reading ‘One of the greatest Rugby players who ever sat in the House’: Pat Munro MP

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Contemporary History, 20th century history, Constituencies, Elections, John Major, Local History, Modern, Oral history, Parties

Christchurch 1993: By-election Campaigning in the Glare of the Media

On Thursday the voters of Gorton and Denton will elect their new MP after weeks of media speculation. This by-election had huge attention before it was even called, and in Westminster eyes are fixed on Manchester. In this article, Dr Emma Peplow uses our oral history archive interviews to look back at a very different by-election, but one that also took place under full media spotlight: … Continue reading Christchurch 1993: By-election Campaigning in the Glare of the Media

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20th century history, Constituencies, Contemporary History, Elections, Factions, John Major, Margaret Thatcher, Modern, Oral history, Parliamentary Life, Parties, Scottish History

Crossing the Floor: Tales from the Oral History Project

Following some recent, high-profile, political defections, Alfie Steer and Dr Emma Peplow have delved into the History of Parliament’s Oral History archive to explore historical cases of MPs changing their party affiliations: their causes, motivations and wider significance. Political defections, commonly known in Westminster parlance as ‘Crossing the Floor’, have been a phenomenon in Parliament since at least the 17th century. This has either happened … Continue reading Crossing the Floor: Tales from the Oral History Project

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