British MPs on British PMs: Parliamentary Evaluations of Prime Ministerial Success

Royal Holloway Group PR3710

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

This article reports the results of a recent survey of British Members of Parliament (N = 158) to explore parliamentary evaluations of post-war British Prime Ministers. The survey was fielded in 2013 as a part of a collaborative research project undertaken by undergraduate students. It finds that MPs in general rated Margaret Thatcher as the most successful post-war Prime Minister, with Clement Attlee a close runner-up. It also finds that MPs prioritised the implementation of party policy above merely winning elections, and that MPs thought successful Prime Ministers need to be decisive, principled and intelligent.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)111-127
Number of pages17
JournalPolitics
Volume35
Issue number2
Early online date3 Dec 2014
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jun 2015

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