A great Prime Minister's early death Thursday, 11 July, 2024 Prime minister at the age of 24, the Younger Pitt died when he was 46 in 1806 after serving in the highest political office for eighteen years, a term exceeded in length only by Walpole. His health was never robust. It is well-known that he added to his problems by drinking heavily, and it is often said that drink killed him. Far from that being the case, the illness that proved fatal to him can... Articles
Why the party of Sir Robert Peel must support the reform of his Metropolitan Police Service today 2nd December 2022 On 1 December, Alistair Lexden introduced a short debate in the Lords on the urgent need for the reform of the Metropolitan Police. The text of his speech... Speeches
Stanley Baldwin's gift to the nation 2nd December 2022 In June 1919, when he was Financial Secretary to the Treasury, Stanley Baldwin had a famous letter published in The Times, signed FST, in an attempt to... Articles
150th anniversary of the Ballot Act 28th November 2022 Voting in secret became a feature of the British electoral system in 1872. In the attached commemorative article, published in Parliament’s House Magazine... Articles
Book Review: Flying High 15th November 2022 Michael Morris, now Lord Naseby, was Conservative MP for Northampton from 1974 to 1997. He recently published a vivid account of his experiences as a young... Articles
Where are the new hospitals? 10th November 2022 A pledge to build a large number of them was a prominent feature of the last Tory election manifesto. In the Lords on 9 November, Alistair Lexden asked about... Speeches
Did Churchill dislike Scotland? 2nd November 2022 That is what many Scottish Nationalists allege. The truth can be found in a new book by a promising young writer, Andrew Liddle, who works in the Scottish media... Articles
A disgraced police chief and a supine Home Office 31st October 2022 It can be a long and difficult process to bring police officers to book for misconduct —as Alistair Lexden has found out in the case of Mike Veale, from his... Speeches
Why the system for electing Conservative leaders must be changed 26th October 2022 The following letter was published in The Times on October 26, two days after Rishi Sunak became the third Conservative leader this year. Sir, As your editorial... Articles
The man who worked to break down trade barriers in Europe 25th October 2022 The man in question was Basil de Ferranti, a Conservative Member of the European Parliament from 1979 to 1988. A profile of him by Alistair Lexden is included... Articles