Overview

The importance of the Prime Minister in British foreign policy decision-making has long been noted by historians. However, while much attention has been given to high-level contacts between leaders and to the roles played by the premiers themselves, much less is known about the people advising and influencing them. In providing day-to-day assistance to the Prime Minister, a Private Secretary could wield significant influence on policy outcomes. This book examines the activities of those who advised prime ministers from Winston Churchill (1951–55) to Margaret Thatcher during her first administration (1979–83). Each chapter considers British foreign policy and assesses the influence of the specific advisers. For each office holder, particular attention is paid to a number of key themes. Firstly, their relationship with the Prime Minister is considered. A strong personal relationship of trust and respect could lead to an official wielding much greater influence. This could be especially relevant when an adviser served under two different leaders, often from different political parties. It also helps to shed light on the conduct of foreign policy by each premier. Secondly, the attitudes towards the adviser from the Foreign Office are examined. The Foreign Office traditionally enjoyed great autonomy in the making of British foreign policy and was sensitive to encroachments by Downing Street. Finally, each chapter explores the role of the adviser in the key foreign policy events and discussions of the day. Covering a fascinating 30-year period in post-war British political history, this collection broadens our understanding of the subject, and underlines the different ways influence could be brought to bear on government policy.

Full Product Details

Author:   Andrew Holt (Loughborough University, UK) ,  Warren Dockter (University of Cambridge, UK)
Publisher:   Taylor & Francis Ltd
Imprint:   Routledge
Weight:   0.420kg
ISBN:  

9780367348694

ISBN 10:   0367348691
Pages:   214
Publication Date:   05 July 2019
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Tertiary & Higher Education
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

Introduction Charles Powell 1. Managing a Giant: Jock Colville and Winston Churchill Warren Dockter 2. Advising the Un-advisable: The Number 10 Private Office and the Suez Crisis Kevin Ruane 3. Philip de Zulueta Peter Catterall 4. Oliver Wright Andrew Holt 5. Michael Palliser John W. Young 6. ‘Sound and Comfortable Men’: Peter Moon, Lord Bridges and Britain’s Entry into the EEC Nick Thomas 7. Patrick Wright and Bryan Cartledge John Shepherd 8. Margaret Thatcher’s Private Secretaries for Foreign Affairs, 1979–1984 Aaron Donaghy Conclusion: The Prime Minister’s Private Office from John Martin to Chris Martin Anthony Sheldon Appendices Appendix I: Private Secretaries to the Prime Minister with responsibility for foreign affairs, 1945–2015 Appendix II: Principal Private Secretaries to the Prime Minister, 1945–2015

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Author Information

Andrew Holt taught at the University of Nottingham, King’s College London and the University of Exeter, and held a visiting fellowship at Churchill College, Cambridge, before joining the Civil Service. He is the author of The Foreign Policy of the Douglas-Home Government: Britain, the United States and the End of Empire (2014). Warren Dockter is a Lecturer in International Politics at Aberystwyth University, having previously been a Junior Research Fellow at Clare Hall, Cambridge. He is the author of Winston Churchill and the Islamic World: Orientalism, Empire and Diplomacy in the Middle East (2015) and edited Churchill at the Telegraph (2015).

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