Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson summary

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Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson, (born March 11, 1916, Huddersfield, Yorkshire, Eng.—died May 24, 1995, London), British politician and prime minister (1964–70, 1974–76). The son of an industrial chemist, he was educated at the University of Oxford, where he collaborated with William H. Beveridge on work that led to the latter’s 1942 report. In World War II he was drafted into the civil service and produced a study of the mining industry. His book New Deal for Coal (1945) was the basis for the Labour Party’s plan to nationalize the coal mines. He was elected to the House of Commons in 1945 and appointed president of the Board of Trade (1947–51). Elected leader of the Labour Party in 1963, he became prime minister in 1964. He widened the party’s voting majority in 1966 but his popularity declined in the late 1960s, partly because of his assumption of direct responsibility for the economy shortly before the pound was devalued in 1967. In his second term, he confirmed Britain’s membership in the European Economic Community (1975). He resigned unexpectedly in 1976 and was created a life peer in 1983.

Labour Party Summary

Labour Party, British political party whose historic links with trade unions have led it to promote an active role for the state in the creation of economic prosperity and in the provision of social services. In opposition to the Conservative Party, it has been the major democratic socialist party

House of Lords Summary

House of Lords, the upper chamber of Great Britain’s bicameral legislature. Originated in the 11th century, when the Anglo-Saxon kings consulted witans (councils) composed of religious leaders and the monarch’s ministers, it emerged as a distinct element of Parliament in the 13th and 14th

House of Commons Summary

House of Commons, popularly elected legislative body of the bicameral British Parliament. Although it is technically the lower house, the House of Commons is predominant over the House of Lords, and the name “Parliament” is often used to refer to the House of Commons alone. The origins of the House

prime minister Summary

Prime minister, the head of government in a country with a parliamentary or semipresidential political system. In such systems, the prime minister—literally the “first,” or most important, minister—must be able to command a continuous majority in the legislature (usually the lower house in a