One of the lessons of the last two years is that Labour urgently needs to stop being afraid of its own shadow. Burnham should appoint whoever he thinks would be the best Chancellor and throw his authority behind them. The Daily Mail will try to kill them anyway. So just govern.

Many congratulations to our @histparl.bsky.social colleague Dr Alfie Steer!

Delighted to say that I passed my PhD viva yesterday with no corrections! Somehow survived the heat as well.

Oh m a t e

The 1832 Reform Act received royal assent #OnThisDay 1832. This post from our editor Philip Salmon provides an overview of the Act’s significance and legacy: victoriancommons.wordpress.com/2022/06/07/1...

You are creating that debate. There is no debate. There is a far right talking point and a media willing to traffic it into the mainstream.

We are very sad to hear that Michael Meadowcroft, Liberal MP for Leeds West (1983-1987) has died. Michael was an influential thinker and famously opposed the merger with the SDP. In an interview for our Oral History project, he described his libertarian philosophy and independent personality. 👇

Mandelson's political advice amounting to 'You should Win instead of Not Winning' confirms my earlier impression of a mind completely overtaken by political banalities, and a talent entirely degraded through admiration of wealth. www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...

Upcoming radio appearance from our @histparl.bsky.social colleague...

I shall be likely yapping about Tony Benn’s diaries do tune in!

Very pleased to share my new article on the legal case surrounding Welwitsch's Angolan botanical collections, part of the @collecol.bsky.social issue in @Endeavour (edited by the lovely @dominikhhh.bsky.social & @nickytheprof.bsky.social) ✨ #envhist Available open access! doi.org/10.1016/j.en...

In May 1820, five men were hanged for their involvement in the Cato Street Conspiracy. Earlier this month our Public Engagement Assistant @AlfieSteer went on location to explore the plot that planned to assassinate the Prime Minister and his entire cabinet.

will feel like a gotcha but actually i think an interesting point re: the idea of what matters is what works vs ideology: would be keen to know the last time blair had an opinion that surprised you

The right wing content isn’t the notable thing, it’s the crudity of the ‘analysis’ and arguments for getting there. Too much time spent in the private jets of billionaires rots the brain. As the Epstein files showed their private political takes make tabloid headlines sound nuanced.

As a historian I read nuanced stuff about Tony Blair and his governments, the intellectual underpinnings, getting away from cliches about neoliberalism etc., but, what if, hear me out, he was just a reactionary right-wing bastard doing the maximum amount of reactionary shit he could in the context?

In case you missed it, @alfiesteer.bsky.social has delved into our Oral History archive to explore MPs' memories of Section 28 and the wider struggle for gay rights in the late twentieth century.

Section 28 is today considered one of the most controversial pieces of legislation in modern British history. To mark the anniversary of its introduction, @alfiesteer.bsky.social has delved into oral history archive to explore MPs' memories of it, and the wider struggle for gay rights in Britain.

Really enjoyed writing this. HPT’s oral history archive is an extraordinary source. Read on for Jill Knight’s typical outrageousness, David Sumberg’s bitter regrets, and Robert Hayward’s claim that you might as well have held London Tory Party meetings in gay bars in the 1980s!

My piece here on makeshift arrangements for the prorogations which took place after the Oct 1834 fire at Westminster. Featuring lost wigs, the Lord Chancellor finding his way through the still smouldering ruins of the old Palace and a chair borrowed from St James's Palace being used as the throne.

The erasure of social from postwar housing

You don't need to "unify the country" to win elections. You just need 35% of the vote & ignore everyone else - as Thatcher knew. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Why would we want to learn from our pasts, or ponder the power of the written and spoken word, or explore the deep questions of humanity? According to the University of Hertfordshire, we wouldn't. They've just cut all of our undergrad Humanities programmes

twenty years ago people attacked universities by deriding “Mickey Mouse degrees” like media studies in favour of “proper” subjects like history, and now universities are skipping that step and simply abolishing everything that isn’t economics

In case you missed yesterday's post, read @alfiesteer.bsky.social's exploration of the 1926 General Strike on our website:

On this day in 1926 Winston Churchill said in Parliament that 'either Parliamentary institutions would emerge triumphant or it would inevitably lead to some kind of Soviet trade union, whether with parliamentary forms or otherwise.'

"Many environmental organisations in Britain in the 1980s and 1990s were sponsored by companies, including oil companies." Paul Merchant uses oral history to examine the links between corporate sponsorship and environmental activism in 1980s and 1990s Britain.

A great read from our colleague @alfiesteer.bsky.social

few notes from me

In the early hours of 4 May 1926, the General Strike began. It brought the nation to a standstill for 9 days, and had lasting legacies for Britain's parliamentary democracy. Read @alfiesteer.bsky.social's latest article to find out more.

Did you catch a collection of clips from our oral history archive on Radio 4 this morning? Listen back to 'Yesterday in Parliament' to hear @emmapeplow.bsky.social discuss Westminster drinking culture in the late 20th c., through the voices of some of the MPs who were there. [Listen from 19:00]

On 29 April 1909 Chancellor David Lloyd George presented the 'People's Budget' to Parliament. In a 4 1/2 hour speech, he outlined an innovative system of wealth redistribution which sparked a constitutional stand-off between Commons & Lords. The budget finally passed exaclty one year later.

This ties in well with the theme of the first Parliaments, Politics and People seminar of summer term. @brendantam.bsky.social will be speaking about political sociability in late Hanoverian Britain. Find out here how to join in person or online on Tues 5 May: historyofparliament.com/2026/04/29/t...

Hopefully starting a project on the anti-sexist men’s movement from the 1970s in Britain if anyone has any recommended reading on all things men and the WLM, Achilles Heel etc please send my way!

Labour clearly on an "universities are not a vote-winner" kick at the moment, although they employ vastly more people than industry and probably have a higher number of Labour voters. Again, Labour taking for granted its core vote chasing the imaginary lost working class white male.

Such a fascinating and revealing article on parliament’s infamous drinking culture, as relayed in our oral history project

2,031 days and 99,981 words later I’ve finally handed in my PhD thesis!!! Thank you to everyone who helped make this possible.

We have loads of brilliant MP interviews at the moment so spending ages listening (ranging from Neil Hamilton to Ian Blackford or Sarah Wollaston). Drawback is every time someone gets into the drama over the hunting ban I'm left incredibly melancholic about the peaceful, prosperous world we lost...

My article on 1970s feminists, spycops, and if feminist historians can use materials extracted by undercover police officers is out in History Workshop Journal doi.org/10.1093/hwj/...

Great excitement in the #HistParl office as our research fellow Dr Naomi Lloyd-Jones gets her hands on a print copy of her special issue of Parliamentary History. It's currently free to access online here: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/17500206...

Congratulations to #HistParl colleague Dr Naomi Lloyd-Jones, who has edited a special issue of Parliamentary History! All the artilces are free to read here: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/17500206...

Excited to see that @labour-hub.bsky.social has published a review of In Solidarity, Under Suspicion! Mike Phipps: "there is a lot here that could teach us how to help build contemporary social movements." labourhub.org.uk/2026/04/05/w... @evansmithhist.bsky.social @manchesterup.bsky.social

On 10 April 1998, the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement was signed, a major development in the Northern Ireland peace process. One of the crucial figures in the agreement was Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Mo Mowlam. Read Dr Emma Peplow's article for more on Mowlam's impact.

Exciting new internship at HistParl for postgrads! Details below!

The latest issue of @parlhistjournal.bsky.social edited by our colleague Dr Naomi LLoyd-Jones is now free to read! You can view her Introduction of the issue covering 'The Politics of Organising in the Long 19th Century' below.

In 1993, all-women shortlists were endorsed by the Labour Party. @alfiesteer.bsky.social explores our oral history archive to discuss the controversy of the shortlists and its impact on Parliament.

Out now - Women, Resistance and Revolution: A History of Women and Revolution in the Modern World by Sheila Rowbotham "Groundbreaking … One of feminism’s great chroniclers." - Melissa Benn, Guardian

New blog from me today for @histparl.bsky.social, with a #SixNations theme. It looks at the career of Pat Munro, a former Scotland rugby international who was MP for Llandaff and Barry from 1931. He was the oldest MP to die on war service during WW2. historyofparliament.com/2026/03/02/p...