The Top 10 British Prime Ministers
Britain has a new Prime Minister!
As she settles into her new role Theresa May will no doubt be looking at the pictures of her predecessors and wondering, ‘which of these people should I emulate?’ Well Mrs. May, here at the Individualist we have exactly what you need, a pre-prepared list of Britain’s greatest Prime Ministers ready for your consultation.
I should say that this article is written from a classical liberal perspective. Socialists and authoritarians won’t find much to agree with here. That said, let’s see who comes in at number 10…
Number 10 — David Lloyd George (December 1916 — October 1922) — Liberal
As the man who led Britain to victory during the First World War, it would be impossible to deny Lloyd George a place the top 10. The energy and dynamism that he brought to the Ministry of Munitions and his insistence on the convoy system to protect British shipping, were both integral to the Allies’ ultimate victory. The People’s Budget, which he passed by destroying the power of the House of Lords, while significantly enlarging the size of the state, undoubtedly helped to alleviate the worst extremes of poverty in Britain, and his decision to fund these policies with tax rises instead of tariff barriers must surely be commended. Unfortunately, these achievements are overshadowed somewhat by the ‘cash for honours’ scandal that ended his career and his later endorsement of one Adolf Hitler.
Number 9 — Earl of Shelburne (July 1782 — April 1783) — Whig
During his brief premiership Shelburne secured peace between Britain and the United States of America following the Revolutionary War. In doing so he opened up a vast new market for British goods, which enabled the economy to flourish. He was also an early advocate of free trade, catholic emancipation, and parliamentary reform.
Number 8 — William Pitt ‘the Younger’ (December 1783 — March 1801, May 1804 — January 1806) — New Tory/Independent Whig
Britain’s youngest Prime Minister (24), William Pitt led Britain successfully through the perilous years of the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars. Before the war he was responsible for slashing the national debt by 43%. Like Shelburne, he endorsed catholic emancipation and parliamentary reform, but failed on both counts. He also failed to achieve the abolition of slavery as he had hoped. Pitt’s illiberal decision to suspend habeas corpus and restrict freedom of assembly during the Revolutionary Wars is the only reason he is not higher up on this list.
Number 7 — Benjamin Disraeli (February 1868 — December 1868, February 1874 — April 1880) — Conservative
Disraeli is regarded as the founder of ‘One-Nation’ Conservatism. As Leader of the House of Commons he secured the passage of the Second Reform Act which doubled the number of eligible voters. After “climbing to the top of the greasy pole” he improved sanitation in cities, banned the employment of children under 10 years old and enabled employees to sue their employers for breach of contract. His greatest achievement was the Congress of Vienna where he successfully prevented Russia gaining access to the Mediterranean, which would have been disastrous for British naval supremacy.
Number 6 — Robert Peel (December 1834 — April 1835, August 1841 — June 1846) — Conservative
Peel was one of those rare politicians that put country before self interest. He helped Wellington pass the Catholic Relief Act knowing that many members of his party were fiercely opposed. Again, in 1846 he used support from the opposite benches to repeal the Corn Laws despite knowing that his decision would inevitably lead to the end of his political career. This kind of selflessness deserves recognition.
He is probably best known today as the founder of the Metropolitan Police (‘bobbies’) and for restricting the use of the death penalty.
Number 5 — William Ewart Gladstone (December 1868 — February 1874, April 1880 — June 1885, February 1886 — July 1886, August 1892 — March 1984) — Liberal
Britain’s only four-time Prime Minister, Gladstone was the archetypal classical liberal, endorsing low taxes, low debt, low tariffs, and low government expenditure. In doing so he brought prosperity to Victorian Britain. He was also a great reformer, extending the franchise, introducing secret ballots, and redrawing the constituency boundaries to give greater representation to the previously underrepresented cities. He shunned expensive foreign adventures, procuring peace in Afghanistan and the South African Republic. His valiant attempts to secure Home Rule for the Irish were sadly frustrated by member of his own party.
Number 4 — William Pitt ‘the Elder’, Earl of Chatham (July 1766 — October 1768) — Whig
“My Lord, I am sure I can save this country, and no one else can.” These words of Pitt ‘the Elder’ would have been arrogant if they were not true. When Pitt entered the Government in the midst of the Seven Years War, Britain and her allies were everywhere on the retreat. Within five years, France, Spain, and Portugal lay humiliated. Canada, Dominica, Grenada, St. Vincent, Tobago, Louisiana, Florida, and large parts of India had all fallen into British hands. It was a reversal of Churchillian proportions.
Pitt’s time as Prime Minister was tragically cut short by mental illness, but he later recovered and used his peerless oratory to warn of the folly of denying the American colonists their fundamental liberties. If only the Government had listened.
Number 3 — Margaret Thatcher (May 1979 — November 1990) — Conservative
Margaret Thatcher is political marmite. Many Conservatives revere her with an almost religious devotion. Others, especially in the north, view her as the devil incarnate.
The reality is that Margaret Thatcher transformed Britain from the ‘sick man of Europe’ into an economic powerhouse. Her programme of controlled inflation, privatisation, reduced government expenditure, and deregulation meant average personal wealth in Britain rose by 80% between 1980–1990. Her forthright response to the Falklands Crisis boosted national morale and restored Britain’s pre-eminence on the global stage. In her later years, having been fooled into signing the Single European Act, she issued prescient warning about the dangers of an ever-centralising European Community. While her judgement was not always exemplary (e.g. Section 28), these mistakes do not detract from the fact she fundamentally revitalised the nation and saved it from a semi-permanent state of economic stagnation.
Number 2 — Earl Grey (November 1830 — July 1834) — Whig
Best known for the distinctive blend of tea which shares his name, Charles Grey’s legacy is defined by two statutes, the Great Reform Act 1832 and the Abolition of Slavery Act 1833.
The first of these brought sanity to Britain’s absurd electoral system in which a large city such as Birmingham could have zero MPs, while Old Sarum, a town which hadn’t been occupied since the 13th century, had two. It also extended the franchise by around 65%. The second statute, long overdue, made it illegal to hold slaves within the British Empire, ending a dark and shameful period in our nation’s history.
Number 1 — Winston Churchill (May 1940 — May 1945, October 1951 — April 1955) — Conservative
Who else? It is no exaggeration to say that without Winston Churchill — his rhetoric, his diplomacy, his whit, this brilliant strategic mind — Europe, perhaps even Britain itself, might have fallen permanently under Nazi domination.
True, not all of Churchill’s decision were well considered. Taking Britain back to the gold standard was certainly misjudged, as was his bitter condemnation of Mahatma Gandhi, but these transgressions can and must be overlooked in view of the scale of his achievement during the Second World War.
—
What do you think of my list? Is there anyone I’ve missed out? Who gets more credit than they deserve? Let me know on Twitter, https://twitter.com/YeIndividualist, or in the comments below and don’t forget to share the article on Facebook.
If you like what you’ve seen so far, try some of my other articles such as ‘Fixing Britain’s Broken Democracy’ and ‘Here’s What Britain’s Political Parties Should Look Like’.
The Individualist
20th July 2016
