25 Okt 1951 Jahr - 1951 election

Beschreibung:

Clement Atlee's party was dying out, with most of the policies the party promised being put into place making the party directionless. The economy was declining due to the countries support in the Korean war leading to the government putting prescription charges on glasses and false teeth in the NHS. The 1950 general election gave the Labour party a slim majority of five.

The Tories manifesto was optimistic, promising to end rationing and build 300,000 houses a year. Additionally, Winston Churchill was a war time hero.

Despite this Labour was still confident in a victory.

Conservative: 321 seats, 48% votes
Labour: 295 seats, 48.8% votes

Conservative's won by a majority of 17 seats. Atlee's post war consensus had given the public prosperity after the war, a political model that the Tories would follow throughout the 1950s.

Although Churchill was a war time hero, he was old, sick and not a good post war prime minister. He would suffer a stroke in 1953 leaving him with impaired speech. Additionally, he would often work abroad, rarely being in number 10. The government would be run by the acting Prime Minister Anthony Eden, minister of housing Harold Macmillan and Chancellor of the Exchequer R.A.Butler during these times abroad. Tensions between the three occurred leading to Eden becoming impatient with Churchill, waiting for him to step down.

The Conservative party was fragile going into 1951, with a sick, absent Prime Minister and divisions in the party.

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