Christmas could be the most fantastic time of the 12 months – however not for a few of Britain’s prime ministers over the course of historical past.
From wars, to financial crises, and well being points – there was no scarcity of challenges going through the occupant of 10 Downing Road over Christmases previous.
A listener to our Electoral Dysfunction podcast, Phil, despatched in a query for as we speak’s Q&A episode, asking which prime minister in historical past had the worst Christmas Day.
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We requested historian Dan Snow to comb again by means of the historical past books to seek out out.
Lord North, who served as prime minister from 1770 to 1782, “acquired the crushing information of horrible defeat at Yorktown in late November 1781” within the American Revolutionary Struggle, Snow defined.
“‘Oh God, it is throughout’, he moaned, and for as soon as he was proper,” Snow mentioned.
“These 13 American colonies had been gone – that was a depressing Christmas. He spent it on the lookout for a lifeline or a smart man, he discovered neither.
“In February he admitted defeat, and he was out of workplace inside weeks.”
File pic: iStock
One other contender for the PM who had the worst Christmas is Prime Minister Goderich in December 1827, based on Snow.
It was mentioned he was “fairly unnerved and in a most pitiful state”, the historian added.
“He had a political meltdown occurring, his spouse had a profound psychological well being disaster,” Snow went on.
Frederick Robinson, Viscount Goderich. Picture: UK authorities
When Goderich resigned in January 1828, he was crying a lot that the King “lent him a hanky”.
“He solely served 144 days, one of many shortest prime ministerial tenures, a document lately damaged to common acclaim,” Snow added.
Shifting into the twentieth century, Snow mentioned: “Stanley Baldwin determined to name an early common election in December 1923. He determined he was going to introduce tariffs, he needed a mandate. He thought they might fireplace up an financial restoration.
“Think about that, it did not work out. He misplaced his comfy majority. He tried to get his agenda by means of parliament in January – he misplaced and resigned.”
Stanley Baldwin served three stints as prime minister between 1923 and 1937. Pic: PA
“Now the person who dominates the sector of disappointing Christmases was, nicely, dominant in so many different fields – we’re speaking Winston Churchill,” Snow mentioned.
Snow mentioned Sir Winston “by accident flashed” US President Franklin D Roosevelt in December 1941 – referring to when the American chief apparently walked in on him bare throughout a White Home go to.
The historian additionally mentioned Sir Winston “appears to have had a sequence of coronary heart assaults over Christmas”.
Anthony Eden and Sir Winston Churchill, pictured on the door of 10 Downing Road in August 1956. Pic: PA
Sir Winston’s successor as Conservative prime minister, Anthony Eden, lied to parliament on 20 December 1956 in relation to the Suez disaster.
“He was stuffed with opiates and amphetamines, if that is any excuse,” Snow mentioned.
“He was wracked by fever over Christmas and resigned for well being causes, and ‘everybody conspiring in opposition to him’ causes on 9 January.”
And within the twenty first century, Gordon Brown’s Christmas in 2008 was removed from merry as he was “attempting to stabilise the monetary system – and his parliamentary majority”, Snow mentioned.
The prime minister wakened on Boxing Day to a Day by day Mail headline that learn: “New plot to oust Gordon Brown”.
“He later mentioned, it was a rocky time. When is not it? Poor issues,” Snow added.
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