Campbell-Bannerman

The 20 Prime Ministers of the 20th Century
By Roy Hattersley

Henry Campbell-Bannerman (1836-1908, GCB 1895) Liberal politician, Prime Minister 1905-8. He was invited by Edward VII to form a government when Balfour resigned in December 1905. In the subsequent general election the Liberals won a large majority, but many of their measures passed in the Commons were defeated by the Conservative majority in the House of Lords - a continuing provocation which led to the Parliament Act of 1911, in which Campbell-Bannerman's successor, Herbert Asquith, clipped the wings of the upper chamber.

Lord Roy Hattersley was in the Wilson and Callaghan cabinets, and rose to be the former deputy leader of the Labour Party as well as Shadow Home Secretary and Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer. Since retiring from front-bench politics and going to the House of Lords he has been a full-time writer, producing regular newspaper articles including a column in the Guardian as well as a series of books, the latest of which is The Edwardians. He believes that the almost forgotten Campbell-Bannerman was in reality one of the most significant of all Prime Ministers, and is glad of this chance to show his real significance.