Archbishop Welby's unprecedented resignation Wednesday, 13 November, 2024 At the end of the 17th century an Archbishop of Canterbury resigned because he was unwilling to swear allegiance to the Dutch King William III and his English wife Queen Mary II. On November 12, Archbishop Welby became the first to do so since then. The circumstances were very different. He departed in response to heavy criticism of his handling of the most serious abuse case in church history... Articles
Selecting election candidates at short notice 7th June 2024 Does the central organisation of the Conservative Party have too much power over the choice of candidates when a snap election is called? 190 constituencies... Articles
Labour's education tax: the truth is out 4th June 2024 Despite having done no serious calculations, Labour claim that their VAT levy on independent school fees would raise £1.6 billion for state schools. Experts on... ArticlesRecent News
Why is the election campaign so long? 29th May 2024 The question is already being asked, and is likely to be heard more frequently as this six-week campaign progresses. Fifty years ago in 1974 a general election... Recent News
Labour's Education Tax: a key election issue 23rd May 2024 On 23 May, Alistair Lexden had been due to open a debate in the Lords on independent schools. In that speech, he would have attacked Labour’s education tax, its... Speeches
The Czech crisis of 1938 22nd May 2024 Hitler was bent on war. That may be clear now, but in 1938 it was not obvious to Britain, despite Churchill’s warnings. An important new book charts the work of... Articles
The man Lord Randolph forgot 18th May 2024 The man in question was George Goschen. The memory lapse on the part of Lord Randolph Churchill, father of Sir Winston, was mentioned by Alistair Lexden in a... Articles
The aftermath of the Troubles in Northern Ireland 9th May 2024 It is now over a quarter of a century since the IRA’s evil campaign of terror ended. It left bereaved families and injured victims leading broken lives. Far too... Speeches
Pen Portraits of our monarchs 29th April 2024 A brilliant collection of them has been republished in an updated edition . Alistair Lexden reviewed it in Parliament’s magazine The House on 29 April. Gimson’s... Articles
The rebirth of Sutherland's portrait of Churchill 23rd April 2024 In a letter to The Daily Telegraph published on 23 April, Alistair Lexden drew attention to the existence of a copy of Graham Sutherland’s remarkable portrait... Articles
