Waving goodbye Harold Macmillan waves to well-wishers outside hospital, days after bowing out as prime minister in October 1963
Boris Johnson's fall as prime minister early in July was spectacular. It was forced, not by any formal vote, but instead by the resignation of dozens of ministers and aides following a series of damaging political scandals. Indeed, the number of resignations was so great that, had Johnson not quickly reversed his refusal to step down, the business of government might have ground to a halt. In keeping with Johnson's taboo-breaking career, the cascade of ministerial departures was unprecedented but history shows us that the enforced termination of a premier's occupancy of Downing Street is a much more commonplace occurrence.
Of the 20 men and women who have held the keys to Number 10 since the First World War and the dawn of the era of mass enfranchisement, only six have had their prime ministerial careers cut short as the direct result of losing a general election. There are four main reasons that the others found themselves in that position: personal choice, scandal, national crises, and internal party politics.
End of an era Boris Johnson announces his resignation as leader of the Conservative party on 7 July. He is set to stay on as PM until his replacement is announced later in the summer
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Denne historien er fra September 2022-utgaven av BBC History UK.
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A modern icon
IVWWAN MORGAN lauds an insightful and clear-eyed examination of a leader blessed with charisma and quality but also marred by personal flaws
Shipwrecks on Scilly
Beneath the clear waters of the Isles of Scilly lurk treacherous rocks on which more than 1,000 ships have foundered. CLARE HARGREAVES discovers their stories
Medieval sambocade
ELEANOR BARNETT recreates an early cheesecake - a dish with surprisingly long roots stretching back well over two millennia
Greek drama
LLOYD LLEWELLYN-JONES is swept along by an engaging exploration of the Ptolemaic rulers of Egypt in the final centuries before Rome conquered this ancient land
Unravelling the enigma
JOSEPH ELLIS is impressed by a detailed, colourful and insightful biography of George Villiers, a Stuart royal favourite who made powerful enemies
The Elusive Pimpernel
Some suffragettes marched with banners, or printed and distributed propaganda pamphlets. Others took more direct action. DIANE ATKINSON tells the story of one activist who employed arson to spark awareness of the burning issue of women’s suffrage
A HILL TO DIE ON
In early 1944, the Allied advance in Italy was brought to a halt at a rocky outcrop called Monte Cassino. And at the heart of the bloodbath that followed, writes James Holland, was flawed leadership
How to build a radical
How to build a radical 6 8 The experiences that shaped Guy Fawkes and his gunpowder plot co-conspirators into violent extremists seem all too familiar today. Lucy Worsley tells a story of religious clashes, state-sanctioned torture and comrades-in-arms willing to die for the cause
WHO WAS GREATEST THE US PRESIDENT?
With Donald Trump set to be inaugurated as the 47th president, we asked seven historians to nominate their choice for the most accomplished American leader
Land of make believe?
Marco Polo's adventures in Asia earned him everlasting fame. But are his accounts of his travels essentially works of fiction? Peter Jackson asks if we can trust this medieval travel-writing superstar
