The Making of the Prime Minister

Résumé du livre

In 1964, two new and unexpected heirs to party leadership confronted each other for the leadership of the country. This is the inside story of their battle for power which resulted in a hair’s-breadth victory for Harold Wilson. It is told with verve, depth and behind-the-scenes knowledge by two of Britain’s leading journalists. The story opens almost two years before the election with an account of what happened behind closed doors in the two main parties as each faced a crisis from within. The ‘Stop Wilson’ movement which followed the death of Gaitskell is the first battle fought and won by the Prime Minister. Almost on its heels comes the intensive manoeuvring for power in the Conservative Party that resulted in the fourteenth Earl of Home being summoned to the Palace. The narrative weaves together the events and personalities of one of the most suspenseful campaigns in British political history. It shows how Mr. Wilson and Sir Alec Douglas-Home conducted themselves both in public and private; how the uproar over Hardy Spicer, the haranguing of Quintin Hogg and the Smethwick affair swung the fortunes of the campaign. Above all, The Making of the Prime Minister reveals in new perspective how men in Britain today reach for power.