Historical rankings of Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom

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Although many surveys have been conducted in order to construct rankings of the success of individuals who have served as President of the United States, until the late 1990s few had been done for Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom. The Times constructed a poll for the first time of all British Prime Ministers in the lead up to the 2010 general election. Prior to this there were two polls in 1999 and 2000 which were done by BBC Radio 4 and the British Politics Group; both only consulted a relatively small number of experts. A wider reaching poll was conducted in 2004 by the University of Leeds and Ipsos MORI. All rankings involved only 20th century prime ministers, with no coverage for the other 31 pre 20th century Prime Ministers. Winston Churchill, Margaret Thatcher and Clement Attlee are consistently ranked highly in such polls, while Anthony Eden and Alec Douglas-Home frequently receive low ratings.

Contents

[edit] 2010 University of Leeds survey

In 2010, the University of Leeds and Woodnewton Associates carried out a survey of 106 academics who specialised in British politics and/or British history since 1945.[1][2]

# Prime Minister Years in Office Political party
1 Clement Attlee 1945–1951 Labour
2 Margaret Thatcher 1979–1990 Conservative
3 Tony Blair 1997–2007 Labour
4 Harold Macmillan 1957–1963 Conservative
5 Harold Wilson 1964–1970, 1974–1976 Labour
6 Winston Churchill 1940–1945, 1951–1955 Conservative
7 James Callaghan 1976–1979 Labour
8 John Major 1990–1997 Conservative
9 Edward Heath 1970–1974 Conservative
10 Gordon Brown 2007–2010 Labour
11 Alec Douglas-Home 1963–1964 Conservative
12 Anthony Eden 1955–1957 Conservative

[edit] Mori/University of Leeds survey

In 2004, the University of Leeds and Ipsos Mori conducted an online survey of 258 academics who specialised in 20th century British history and/or politics. There were 139 replies to the survey, a return rate of 54% - by far the most extensive survey done so far. The respondents were asked to rate all the 20th century British Prime Ministers in terms of their success and asking them to assess the key characteristics of successful PMs.

Respondents were asked to indicate on a scale of 0 to 10 how successful or unsuccessful they considered each PM to have been in office (with 0 being highly unsuccessful and 10 highly successful). A mean of the scores could then be calculated and a league table based on the mean scores.[3]

The three Liberal Prime Ministers were judged on average to have been the most successful, scoring a mean of 6.2. The five Labour PMs averaged 5.8 and the twelve Conservative PMs 4.8.

[edit] Prime Ministers by average scholar rank

Clement Attlee is highly rated for his post-war leadership and social reforms.
# Prime Minister Years in Office Political party Mean Score
1 Clement Attlee 1945–1951 Labour 8.3
2 Winston Churchill 1940–1945, 1951–1955 Conservative 7.9
3 Tony Blair 1997-2007* Labour 7.3
4 Margaret Thatcher 1979–1990 Conservative 7.1
5 Harold Macmillan 1957–1963 Conservative 6.5
6 David Lloyd George 1916–1922 Liberal 6.3
7 Herbert Asquith 1908–1916 Liberal 6.2
8 Stanley Baldwin 1923–1929, 1935–1937 Conservative 6.2
9 Harold Wilson 1964–1970, 1974–1976 Labour 5.9
10 Lord Salisbury 1895–1902 Conservative 5.8
11 Henry Campbell-Bannerman 1905–1908 Liberal 5.0
12 James Callaghan 1976–1979 Labour 4.8
13 Edward Heath 1970–1974 Conservative 4.4
14 Ramsay MacDonald 1924, 1929–1935 Labour 3.7
15 John Major 1990–1997 Conservative 3.7
16 Andrew Bonar Law 1922–1923 Conservative 3.5
17 Neville Chamberlain 1937–1940 Conservative 3.4
18 Arthur Balfour 1902–1905 Conservative 3.4
19 Alec Douglas-Home 1963–1964 Conservative 3.3
20 Anthony Eden 1955–1957 Conservative 2.5
  • *Poll taken in 2004, while Blair was still in office.

[edit] Previous surveys

[edit] BBC Radio 4 Poll

Winston Churchill is a stalwart favourite of Scholars and the public alike for his leadership during the Second World War.

In December 1999 a BBC Radio 4 poll of 20 prominent historians, politicians and commentators for The Westminster Hour produced the verdict that Churchill was the best British Prime Minister of the 20th century, with Lloyd George in second place and Clement Attlee in third place. As Blair was still in office he was not ranked. The worst PM in that survey was judged to be Anthony Eden.[4]

  1. Churchill (Con)
  2. Lloyd George (Lib)
  3. Attlee (Lab)
  4. Asquith (Lib)
  5. Thatcher (Con)
  6. Macmillan (Con)
  7. Salisbury (Con)
  8. Baldwin (Con)
  9. Campbell-Bannerman (Lib)
  10. Wilson (Lab)
  11. Heath (Con)
  12. Callaghan (Lab)
  13. Bonar Law (Con)
  14. MacDonald (Lab)
  15. Douglas-Home (Con)
  16. Balfour (Con)
  17. Major (Con)
  18. Chamberlain (Con)
  19. Eden (Con)

[edit] British Politics Group Poll

In 2000 the British Politics Group, a network of UK and American scholars of British politics, ran another poll which received only 22 responses, with the top three ranked in order as Churchill, Attlee and Lloyd George. Again as Blair was still in office he was not ranked.[5]

  1. Churchill (Con)
  2. Attlee (Lab)
  3. Lloyd George(Lib)
  4. Thatcher (Con)
  5. Macmillan (Con)
  6. Asquith (Lib)
  7. Wilson (Lab)
  8. Salisbury (Con)
  9. Heath (Con)
  10. Baldwin (Con)
  11. MacDonald (Lab)
  12. Callaghan (Lab)
  13. Campbell-Bannerman (Lib)
  14. Chamberlain (Con)
  15. Balfour (Con)
  16. Major (Con)
  17. Douglas-Home (Con)
  18. Bonar Law (Con)
  19. Eden (Con)

[edit] BBC History Magazine list

Margaret Thatcher has fared well in popular opinion polls.

Historian Francis Beckett ranked the 20th century Prime Ministers with points out of five in 2006, based on how well the leaders implemented their policies - not on the policies themselves. Margaret Thatcher and Clement Attlee shared the highest ranking.[6]

5: Margaret Thatcher
5: Clement Attlee
4: Edward Heath
4: Winston Churchill
4: Harold Macmillan
4: Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman
3: Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, Lord Salisbury
3: Herbert Henry Asquith
3: David Lloyd George
3: Stanley Baldwin
3: James Harold Wilson
3: Tony Blair
2: James Callaghan
2: Arthur James Balfour
1: Andrew Bonar Law
1: James Ramsay MacDonald
1: Sir Alec Douglas-Home
1: John Major
0: Robert Anthony Eden
0: Neville Chamberlain

[edit] Popular opinion

[edit] Newsnight poll

In September 2008 the BBC Newsnight programme conducted an online poll. Asking voters to decide who they thought was the greatest and worst of postwar Prime Ministers. 27,000 people responded, and decided that Winston Churchill was the greatest, with Attlee second, and Gordon Brown last.[7]

The full results were:

1. Winston Churchill
2. Clement Attlee
3. Margaret Thatcher
4. Harold Macmillan
5. Harold Wilson
6. Tony Blair
7. Edward Heath
8. John Major
9. James Callaghan
10. Alec Douglas-Home
11. Anthony Eden
12. Gordon Brown

[edit] Other polls

In a BBC poll to find the 100 Greatest Britons in 2002, five Prime Ministers were ranked in the top 100. Winston Churchill was voted greatest Briton, Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington was in 15th place, (though not featured in contemporary polls as he was a 19th century politician), Margaret Thatcher was in 16th place, Tony Blair was 67th and David Lloyd George was 79th.[8]

The BBC television programme The Daily Politics asked viewers in 2007 to select their favourite Prime Minister. Margaret Thatcher topped the list with 49% of the vote, with Clement Attlee coming second with 32%.[9]

[edit] The Times's Top 50 Prime Ministers

Name Party Term in office The Times Rating [10] Matthew Parris Rating [11] Peter Riddell Rating [12] Ben MacIntyre Rating [13]
1 Robert Walpole Whig 1721-1742 9 14 16 7
2 Spencer Compton, 1st Earl of Wilmington Whig 1742-1743 50 51 42
3 Henry Pelham Whig 1743-1754 29 19 34 20
4 Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne Whig 1754-1756 41 40 32 41
5 William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire Whig 1756-1757 44 35 44 47
6 Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne Whig 1757-1762 41 40 32 41
7 John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute Tory 1762-1763 46 44 49 40
8 George Grenville Whig 1763-1765 48 51 48 39
9 Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham Whig 1765-1766 32 30 42 38
10 William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham Whig 1766-1768 16 25 14 18
11 Augustus FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Grafton Whig 1768-1770 49 42 50 49
12 Frederick North, Lord North Tory 1770-1782 50 49 37 44
13 Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham Whig 1782 32 30 42 38
14 William Petty, 2nd Earl of Shelburne Whig 1782-1783 26 29 41 5
15 William Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland Whig 1783 39 27 43 37
16 William Pitt the Younger Tory 1783-1801 4 12 5 3
17 Henry Addington, 1st Viscount Sidmouth Tory 1801-1804 39 36 39 36
18 William Pitt the Younger Tory 1804-1806 4 12 5 3
19 William Grenville, 1st Baron Grenville Whig 1806-1807 43 39 40 35
20 William Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland Whig 1807-1809 39 27 43 37
21 Spencer Perceval Tory 1809-1812 36 38 47 33
22 Robert Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool Tory 1812-1827 19 22 22 15
23 George Canning Tory 1827 8 36 23
24 Frederick John Robinson, 1st Viscount Goderich Tory 1827-1828 37 52 51
25 Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington Tory 1828-1830 24 18 30 17
26 Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey Whig 1830-1834 8 9 10 6
27 William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne Whig 1834 25 26 21 32
28 Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington Tory 1834 24 18 30 17
29 Robert Peel Conservative 1834-1835 6 6 8 8
30 William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne Whig 1835-1841 25 26 21 32
31 Robert Peel Conservative 1841-1846 6 6 8 8
32 John Russell, 1st Earl Russell Whig 1846-1852 21 15 29 14
33 Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby Conservative 1852 18 23 19 16
34 George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen Peelite 1852-1855 42 41 31 43
35 Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston Whig 1855-1858 11 20 11
36 Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby Conservative 1858-1859 18 23 19 16
37 Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston Liberal 1859-1865 11 20 11
38 John Russell, 1st Earl Russell Whig 1865-1866 21 15 29 14
39 Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby Conservative 1866-1868 18 23 19 16
40 Benjamin Disraeli Conservative 1868 10 7 6 9
41 William Ewart Gladstone Liberal 1868-1874 3 4 2 4
42 Benjamin Disraeli Conservative 1874-1880 10 7 6 9
43 William Ewart Gladstone Liberal 1880-1885 3 4 2 4
44 Robert Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury Conservative 1885-1886 11 10 12 25
45 William Ewart Gladstone Liberal 1886 3 4 2 4
46 Robert Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury Conservative 1886-1892 11 10 12 25
47 William Ewart Gladstone Liberal 1892-1894 3 4 2 4
48 Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery Liberal 1894-1895 45 46 46 50
49 Robert Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury Conservative 1895-1902 11 10 12 25
50 Arthur Balfour Conservative 1902-1905 30 28 38 31
51 Henry Campbell-Bannerman Liberal 1905-1908 22 24 26 30
52 H. H. Asquith Liberal 1908-1916 11 21 9 26
53 David Lloyd George Liberal 1916-1922 2 2 3 2
54 Bonar Law Conservative 1922-1923 34 47 35 24
55 Stanley Baldwin Conservative 1923-1924 14 20 11 13
56 Ramsay MacDonald Labour 1924 33 48 33 29
57 Stanley Baldwin Conservative 1924-1929 14 20 11 13
58 Ramsay MacDonald Labour 1929-1935 33 48 33 29
59 Stanley Baldwin Conservative 1935-1937 14 20 11 13
60 Neville Chamberlain Conservative 1937-1940 35 45 28 52
61 Winston Churchill Conservative 1940-1945 1 1 1 1
62 Clement Attlee Labour 1945-1951 7 5 7 22
63 Winston Churchill Conservative 1951-1955 1 1 1 1
64 Anthony Eden Conservative 1955-1957 47 43 45 48
65 Harold Macmillan Conservative 1957-1963 15 17 13 21
66 Alec Douglas-Home Conservative 1963-1964 36 32 27 34
67 Harold Wilson Labour 1964-1970 20 33 17 19
68 Edward Heath Conservative 1970-1974 23 13 18 46
69 Harold Wilson Labour 1974-1976 20 33 17 19
70 James Callaghan Labour 1976-1979 27 31 24 27
71 Margaret Thatcher Conservative 1979-1990 5 3 4 10
72 John Major Conservative 1990-1997 28 16 23 28
73 Tony Blair Labour 1997-2007 16 34 15 12
74 Gordon Brown Labour 2007-2010 36 52 25 45
75 David Cameron Conservative 2010 N/A N/A N/A N/A

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Academics rate Brown one of the worst post 1945 PMs - University of Leeds". Leeds.ac.uk. http://www.leeds.ac.uk/news/article/867/academics_rate_brown_one_of_the_worst_post_1945_pms. Retrieved 9 January 2011. 
  2. ^ "Gordon Brown 'third worst PM since 1945', poll of historians finds". Telegraph. 3 August 2010. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/7923790/Gordon-Brown-third-worst-PM-since-1945-poll-of-historians-finds.html. Retrieved 9 January 2011. 
  3. ^ Rating British Prime Ministers Ipsos MORI. Retrieved November 29, 2004.
  4. ^ Churchill, 'Greatest' PM of 20th Century BBC Politics. Retrieved January 4, 2000.
  5. ^ Rating British Prime Ministers Ipsos MORI. Retrieved 29 November 2004.
  6. ^ Thatcher and Attlee top PM list, BBC News website, 29 August 2006.
  7. ^ BBC Newsnight poll
  8. ^ 100 Great Britons BBC History, accessed 23 May 2007
  9. ^ Your Favourite Prime Minister, 13 June 2007.
  10. ^ The Times's Top 50 Prime Ministers
  11. ^ Matthew Parris: my top 50 Prime Ministers
  12. ^ Peter Riddell: my top 50 Prime Ministers
  13. ^ Ben Macintyre: My top 50 Prime Ministers

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