With the breakdown of cabinet government and the fiasco of the whipless rebels the future of the prime minister became a matter for open speculation. ibid.
On 22 June 1995 he strode into the Downing Street garden to make his surprise announcement. ibid.
‘A mere setback like the defeat of John Redwood was not going to stop them [Eurosceptics].’ ibid. Ken Clarke
John Major was inwardly seething at Lady Thatcher. ibid.
The public too seemed aware that his presence on the hustings was no more than a show. ibid.
During a long night 27 years ago Conservative prime minister, Harold Macmillan, who was known as the Unflappable Supermac, suddenly earned himself a new soubriquet. In an unprecedented act of political destruction Mac the Knife sacked a third of his cabinet but he always claimed he was the one to feel the pain. Timewatch: The Night of the Long Knives, BBC 1989
That Macmillan believed there was a conspiracy is confirmed by his son in law Julian Amery. ibid.
There was a serial of further ministerial immersions at Admiralty House. ibid.
‘He sacrificed all his closest advisers and the principle members of his cabinet.’ ibid. Lord Hailsham
We have misjudged the Tories. They are far more dishonest, corrupt and incompetent than we could ever have thought. Anti Tory League and SollyO tweet 6th September 2023
This place is meant to be in charge. But with five prime ministers in six years it hasn’t felt that way … What happened to our political system? Laura Kuenssberg: State of Chaos I, BBC 2023
In this episode not one but two prime ministers removed from office [Cameron & May] as Britain battles with the biggest battle in a generation. ibid.
Brexit: The Civil Service had not expected or prepared for it. ibid.
But Michael Gove had betrayed his running mate forcing Boris Johnson out of the leadership race. ibid.
Fact of the Day: Conservative Party’s nickname, ‘Tories’, originated in Ireland in the mid 16th century, deriving from the Gaelic word ‘toraidhe’ which meant plunderer, robber, thief, barbarian and yobbo. SB_Sarah tweet 1st April 2024