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
The Man who was Saturday 23rd May 2019 The Man who was Saturday: The Extraordinary Life of Airey Neave, Soldier, Escaper, Spymaster, Politician Patrick Bishop, William Collins, £20 (hardback) My... Articles
Politicians and projectiles 22nd May 2019 A light-hearted article in The Times on May 21 discussed the new fashion for dousing election candidates with milkshakes. In a letter published in the paper on... Articles
40th anniversary of Mrs Thatcher's first election victory 20th May 2019 Alistair Lexden was asked to give a short address at a reception in the House of Lords on 20 May to mark the 40th anniversary of the start of Mrs Thatcher’s... Speeches
Protecting Parliament's archives 15th May 2019 The grave damage done by the fire in Notre Dame last month has increased concern about the danger of a similar catastrophe at the Palace of Westminster, which... Recent News
A great man who was not a Tory 7th May 2019 William Wilberforce will always be revered for the leading part he played in the long campaign to secure the abolition of the slave trade which was finally... Articles
The first woman Prime Minister and her defamed predecessor 7th May 2019 Each week, Parliament’s House Magazine includes a diary piece by a member of the Lords. Having written it from time to time in the past, Alistair Lexden was... Articles
Our democratic police watchdogs seven years on 30th April 2019 Britain’s Police and Crime Commissioners, forty in number, were elected for the first time on pitifully small turn-outs in 2012. Surveys show that nearly half... Speeches
A famous death by drowning 30th April 2019 In June 1916, a national hero, Lord Kitchener, was drowned off the Orkneys. Official documents, recording what happened, remained classified for far too long... Articles
The Conservative Party's greatest crisis ever? 27th April 2019 In Alistair Lexden’s judgement, the Conservative Party is now facing the greatest crisis in its long history. Sadly, this government has failed to meet the huge... Articles