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...

Can safely say that we can now add the Gorton and Denton by election to the ”unexpected consequences of hyper-factional party management“ pile.

The sudden growth of the Green Party is an extraordinary, and still under analysed, development in British politics, with longer term origins than most people think. A while ago I wrote about the first Green Party elected to Parliament. No it wasn’t Caroline Lucas.

This Thursday the voters of Gorton and Denton will elect their new MP after weeks of media speculation. To mark the occasion, @emmapeplow.bsky.social has delved into our oral history archive to look at another by-election that full under the media spotlight: Christchurch 1993.

Do any historians on here have online access to this book, and would mind sending me a pdf? www.routledge.com/Trade-Unions...

I realise McSweeney is big news right now, but the story here should be about Josh Simons, a government minister www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

HistParl is now on Substack! We are very pleased to announce the launch of Scribble Book - a History of Parliament newsletter written by our Director @jhdavey.bsky.social ! Our first post, on the history of the Trust, will be out on Monday. Be sure to subscribe now to keep up to date!

🔴 BREAKING: Labour Together paid controversial PR firm £30k to investigate journalists who were digging into how its undeclared funding Reporters from Sunday Times, Guardian and other outlets targetted *And* Morgan McSweeney knew about it Full story: democracyforsale.substack.com/p/exclusive-...

Insightful insider perspective from @fletchersimon.bsky.social on the close relationship between Starmer's office and Mandelson modernleft.substack.com/p/the-mandel...

IMO the weirdest thing here is that the other main factions in Labour don't seem to recognise this is the case? The soft left, the real ideological centre of the Labour Party, the group that should basically be the dominant faction most of the time, behave like these people are their comrades!

Voters in focus groups are contrasting Labour’s treatment of Burnham and Mandelson – that’s a dangerous comparison for Starmer. www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk-...

Three scholarships for PhD in Arthur Scargill Archive - quite the opportunity. Believe me when I say that I am sure that some of the stuff in here will be quite the eye-opener! (if the good stuff hasn't been already shredded or slapped with an embargo)

I think Labour Party historians should get the ball rolling on discussing how we discuss/frame the history of New Labour in light of the latest Mandelson scandal.

That settles it then; the sentence for kicking a vehicle is summary execution without trial.

Died #OTD 2017, Sir Tam Dalyell, Labour MP from 1962-2005. A maverick backbencher known for his staunch anti-devolution and anti-war views, he is the longest-serving MP we have interviewed for our Oral History Project.

It's nice to have been invovled with a post that is so politically timely...

Following the news of another political defection in Westminster, we're resharing our recent #HistParl article on the history of MPs 'crossing the floor' and changing their party affiliation, drawing heavily upon extracts from our #OralHistory archive. historyofparliament.com/2026/01/16/c...

"Burnham was a chance, *the chance* to turn things around. Instead, the NEC have engaged full steam ahead toward inevitable disaster."

Blocking Andy Burnham from fighting the Gorton by-election is another gift to Reform from a Labour leadership whose entire strategy has so far played directly into their hands www.adambienkov.co.uk/p/morgan-mcs...

How does that labour leader’s speech go? “Party faction first. Palantir, Oracle and X second. America third. Country, 14th. Elections, as rarely as possible”.

Labour Party history suggests that blatantly factional candidate stitch ups like this, handed down by a micro-managing party leadership, often lead to unintended consequences. I wrote about one example (Liz Davies in 1995) here. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Look what arrived in the mail today! You can currently get your very own copy with a 40% discount until the end of January via the @manchesterup.bsky.social website. @d-j-frost.bsky.social manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk/9781526179593/

Shamelessly using the Andrew Gwynne news to reshare my article for @renewaljournal.bsky.social on the state of the Labour left. I basically argue that there is the potential for unity between soft + hard left in the name of saving the party from disaster. renewal.org.uk/articles/the...

very pleased to see this out!!! Me on the state of Labour‘s “hard” left, the rise to prominence of the “soft” left, and the prospects of cooperation between the two in order to save the party from electoral calamity.

very pleased to see this out!!! Me on the state of Labour‘s “hard” left, the rise to prominence of the “soft” left, and the prospects of cooperation between the two in order to save the party from electoral calamity.

Buzzing to have my hands on a copy of the latest issue of Jacobin, featuring an article by me on Ken Livingstone, his two stints running London, and what it shows about what democratic socialists can achieve in a single city. Glad to see Zohran has his copy too! ✊️

Following some recent high-profile political defections, @alfiesteer.bsky.social and Dr @emmapeplow.bsky.social have delved into the History of Parliament's #OralHistory archive to explore some historical cases of MPs who 'crossed the floor' and changed their party affiliation.

*Everything else* has hindered attention to the news that Con & Lab councillors have agreed to remove the franchise from many voters. The argument is the needs of the admin state outweigh the rights of citizens. Their gamble is few will remember or care. I suspect this’ll haunt them next year.

Great piece from my colleagues!

A really interesting post about 'crossing the floor'

Some great stories here from our oral history project from MPs who crossed the floor. It's definitely a controversial and dramatic move!

Following the Robert Jenrick defection yesterday I’ve written a piece about previous instances of MPs changing parties, drawing upon @histparl.bsky.social’s superb oral history archive. Give it a read!

We're putting the finishing touches on the next issue of @renewaljournal.bsky.social, which is a double issue about Labour's time in power.

Personally, I'm particularly excited by: - @sarahowen.org.uk on "Labour as a feminist project" - @neilwarner.bsky.social on "Anti-oligarchy as anti-fascism" - @alfiesteer.bsky.social on "The absolute state of the Labour left"

Hey! @manchesterup.bsky.social are having 40% off sale, so it's time to order mine and @d-j-frost.bsky.social's new book 'In Solidarity, Under Suspicion: The British Far Left from 1956'. Discount for UK/EU calculated at till, US/Can use code 'JAN40'. manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk/9781526179593/

If you don’t get the print version, my Tribune article on the Merseyside WLM is now available to read for free online: tribunemag.co.uk/2026/01/the-...

Delighted to finally have my hands on a copy of @evansmithhist.bsky.social and @d-j-frost.bsky.social new volume on the British Far Left from 1956! It has a chapter by me on Arthur Scargill’s Socialist Labour Party, which may appeal to anyone looking for historical parallels to the Your Party saga…

Thank you to everyone who attended our 2025 Annual Lecture! It was a brilliant event & a lovely way to see out another busy year at #HistParl. Particular thanks to Rt Hon. Nick Thomas-Symonds for delivering this year's lecture, pictured here with @jhdavey.bsky.social & @lordnortonlouth.bsky.social.

Delighted to see that my article for Jacobin on Ken Livingstone, his two stints governing London, and what it reveals about the possibilities (and limits) of radical social democracy in a single city, is now available to read! jacobin.com/2025/12/reme...

A busy (and jetlagged) return to London, but I'm still thinking about @thenacbs.bsky.social in Montreal last weekend! Great to be joined by @alfiesteer.bsky.social and @racheljcollett.bsky.social for our panel on activism in the 1990s, and very grateful to Jess White for stepping in as chair ☃️

Such a lovely evening! Great end to #nacbs2025

This panel looks fab. I wonder why there's no equivalent of NACBS in the UK, mega conference of the newest British history. I guess that Brum and Warwick are trying to do so, but there's nothing that comprehensive.

Next up at #nacbs2025 is a fab lineup of rising history stars in field of histories of activism in late 20th century Britain incl: @racheljcollett.bsky.social @alfiesteer.bsky.social Dan Frost & Jess White.

Great to see our @histparl.bsky.social colleague @alfiesteer.bsky.social in action!

Check out @racheljcollett.bsky.social's fantastic article on the Women's Liberation Movement in Merseyside, and radical regionalism, in the latest issue of Tribune - out today!

Lovely to see my piece in the new issue of Tribune alongside other great articles on protest + power ✊🏼

Not a single member of the Socialist Campaign Group has a position in the Labour Govt But MPs backed by the right-leaning Labour to Win faction are *hugely* represented This is IMO a big part of the issue with PM Starmer's Government. It has a v narrow ideological range. No 10's tent is very small

New online: The Gay Liberation Front (GLF) collection is now available on LSE Digital Library! We’ve digitised and published the GLF Diaries and the GLF newspaper Come Together. Further series from the archives will be added as digitisation continues. 1/2 digital.library.lse.ac.uk/collections/...

Nice surprise to see my article on Capenhurst Women’s Peace Camp is out today - have a read if interested in space, the weirdness of the Wirral, local feminisms and anti-nuclear activism in Merseyside, and global solidarity movements in the 1980s academic.oup.com/tcbh/article...