In 1965, Heath became Conservative Party leader - the first in modern times who was not from an upper-class background. He was presented as young and classless, a Tory answer to the modernising...
Heath continued to serve in the House of Commons until 2001, becoming the Father of the House. Along with Harold Macmillan, he was an outspoken critic of Margaret Thatcher.
In 1965, Heath became Conservative Party leader - the first in modern times who was not from an upper-class background. He was presented as young and classless, a Tory answer to the modernising...
Information presented on this page was prepared from the XML source files, together with information from the History of Parliament Trust, the work of Leigh Rayment and public sources.
According to Douglas Hurd, who, after working for Heath in Opposition, succeeded Marcia Falkender as the Political Secretary at No. 10, Heath saw himself as a latter-day Robert Peel, creating a new Conservative Party to fit the new social realities of which he was himself the product.
Heath was Prime Minister for only 44 months – three years and 259 days to be precise. In that period he took one of the most momentous decisions of any 20th-century prime minister – to take Britain into Europe. The anger and splits in his own and other parties that arose still reverberate.
Dive deep into the life of Sir Edward Heath (1916–2005), British Conservative Prime Minister from 1970 to 1974. Explore his background, political career, achievements, controversies, and enduring legacy.
Heath won the leadership election in 1965 to become Leader of the Conservative Party and set about rebuilding the Party for return to government, overseeing a major policy review prior to, and beyond the 1966 General Election.
In British politics, however, the issue of Europe and Britain’s role in it has been long-running and divisive for both the Labour and Conservative parties. The issue features prominently in our interviews with former MPs for our oral history archive. In the first of two blogs on … Continue reading