The Impossible Office?: The History of the British Prime Minister

by Anthony Seldon, Jonathan Meakin (Assistant), Illias Thoms (Assistant)

Marking the third centenary of the office of Prime Minister, this book tells its extraordinary story, explaining how and why it has endured longer than any other democratic political office in world history. Sir Anthony Seldon, historian of Number 10 Downing Street, explores the lives and careers, loves and scandals, successes and failures, of all our great Prime Ministers. From Robert Walpole and William Pitt the Younger, to Clement Attlee and Margaret Thatcher, Seldon discusses which of our Prime Ministers have been most effective and why. He reveals the changing relationship between the Monarchy and the office of the Prime Minister in intimate detail, describing how the increasing power of the Prime Minister in becoming leader of Britain coincided with the steadily falling influence of the Monarchy. This book celebrates the humanity and frailty, work and achievement, of these 55 remarkable individuals, who averted revolution and civil war, leading the country through times of peace, crisis and war.

Genres: Politics, History, Nonfiction, British Literature, Historical

430 pages, Hardcover

Published May 6, 2021

About the author

Sir Anthony Francis Seldon, FRSA, FRHistS, FKC, is a British educator and contemporary historian. He was the 13th Master (headmaster) of Wellington College, one of Britain's co-educational independent boarding schools. In 2009, he set up The Wellington Academy, the first state school to carry the name of its founding independent school. He was Vice-Chancellor of the University of Buckingham from 2015 to 2020. Seldon was knighted in the 2014 Birthday Honours for services to education and modern political history.

Reviews

[R · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read. The book marks the journey of Sir Robert Walpole’s appointment as PM on 4th April 1721 (to little fanfare) to 300 years later and Boris Johnson’s appointment (too much fanfare). The book also recognises that the unofficial elected role of PM actually goes back to 924 when King Athelstan was “Chief Minister” – a position that survived to the 1688.

Much has changed in those years including having much smaller cabinets, the monarch relinquishing control of the PM under Pitt the Younger’s premiership in 1795 (something Johnson realised when he prorogued parliament), the rise of the Treasury (early PMs had complete control over economic affairs), the enlargement of a PM’s responsibilities on Foreign policy (this is changing I think under Rishi and likely to continue), media & security, and above all tighter legal and constitutional frameworks (local mayors, judicial reviews House of Lords, constitutional watchdogs e.c.t) challenging almost every PM. In short, a PM now speaks of their role of leading an entire country (Gladstone was the first PM to truly democratise the UK through the 2nd reform act of 1867), compared to being the most effective person to conduct the King’s business.

The resources at the PM’s disposal have changed dramatically. The establishment of the Cabinet Office in WW1 was a master class by Lloyd George, and created the institutional memory, and processes for Churchill to win WW2. What is most amazing is that there are actually no codifications of PM powers, rather a well structure “Modus Operandi” that is not written down but everybody knows. In some ways this means that a PM is more powerful than any other PM in the world. They set the agenda, decide cabinet, majority permitting the Commons and control the civil service. They have also spent less time in the Commons as the growth of the “political class” (ex special advisors) who know nothing of the real world have been allowed to become MPs.

A PM’s relationship with the Monarch has also changed (only 15% of countries, 28 in total, have monarchs). Separation between the monarch and PM is now crucial, with PM not allowed on the Palace’s balcony, the monarch not interfering if there is a hung parliament or dissolving parliament without consulting the PM. The Queen has though privately voiced her views, in particular a failure of Downing Street to properly manage the Commonwealth, a view subtly supported by the fact Commonwealth photos are hung in the basement of N10, and that a N10 folklore is that disasters happen when PMs are away for Commonwealth Government meetings.

So, what of the future? The Foreign Office needs to regain its power as Foreign Secretaries have done far less as the empire has receded and PM’s have been expected to attend major conferences such as the G7 and UN. The Treasury needs to be better integrated into N10. To combat the power of the Treasury, N10 has often tried to boost its own economic power, which is often a mistake. Working with/integrating the Treasury into N10 operations is the best solution.

What makes a good PM? Long apprenticeships either in opposition or running a government department, clear ideas, iron will and moral seriousness. Political Re-launches, or idea collections from departments are always a sign that a government is in trouble. 5-8 years in office is ideal, while 55- 65 years old. Sadly many PMs have suffered personal traumas like losing parents/wives.

Can the position of PM be improved? Yes.

1. Formalise the position of Deputy PM to do the nitty gritty of government allowing the PM to focus on strategy/ideas.

2. Make N10 more powerful so it pulls the leavers of power in Whitehall.

3. Reset the balance between the PM and Chancellor.

4. Make N10 more diverse and intelligent (most political aides are young, inexperienced and useless, and lack any skills. In a large corporate you would not have a junior employee working for the CEO, so why in N10?)

5. Increase knowledge about the PM’s position. Traditionally, good PM’s have experience of running departments, and “institutional memory” to make the most of their position. Jeremy Haywood held monthly “What have we learnt” sessions with Cameron and Osborne. This should become formalised.

[Colin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bravo to Sir Anthony Seldon and his assistants for this excellent book! Unlike many other volumes on British PMs, this is not a sequence of potted biographies but rather a step back to look at the history of the institution and its development. Seldon adopts a thematic approach and the result is an authoritative, well written and well judged analysis. The concluding chapter is masterly.

The constraints of writing such a book during "lockdown" would have considerable, and for this reason, more of the heavy lifting of the research is done through secondary sources, including a huge number of personal interviews with historians and biographers. I assume that under normal conditions, a book of this academic quality would not have relied so heavily on this method. It does mean that the continual references in the text to "as X says" etc. does give it the air of an extended student essay. But, given the circumstances, this is acceptable and the quality of the analysis and the judgments more than compensates.

[Tom Van Hal · Rating 3 out of 5]

De moeite waard als je van politiek en geschiedenis houdt. De opsommerige manier van schrijven staat soms wat tegen.

[Wyn Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating

A very readable and illuminating book based on detailed and thorough knowledge of the role of prime minister over 300 years.

[Clive Hodges · Rating 4 out of 5]

The office that Sir Anthony Seldon is asking us to consider as impossible is that of the prime minister of Britain. Seldon, with the assistance of Jonathan Meakin and Illias Thoms, explores the lives, careers, successes and scandals of the 55 politicians who have held that post since the term was first coined to describe the job Sir Robert Walpole was doing from 1721 to 1742.

The analysis starts with two imaginary encounters. One, a tête-à-tête over lunch with two well-nourished men, Walpole and Boris Johnson. The other, a snippet of a dinner conversation between two distantly-related monarchs: King George I and Queen Elizabeth II.

The Impossible Office? covers the changing relationship over 300 years between the monarchy and the office of prime minister; the rise and fall of the Foreign Secretary; and the rise and rise of the Chancellor of the Exchequer. It explains why the office emerged in 1721, how it’s managed to survive, and how the role can be strengthened.

Queen Elizabeth is rumoured to have told Johnson on his first visit to Buckingham Palace after becoming prime minister: “I don’t understand why anyone would want the job.”

With a huge responsibility, a large workload and only 24 hours in a day, time management is a priority. Nevertheless, time has to be found to meet and greet distinguished visitors. Heads of State of the 200 countries of the world want more than a minute or two with the prime minister when they’re passing through London.

Every aspiring politician should read The Impossible Office? Every parliamentary member should heed the statistics given in the final chapter: seven prime ministers have died in office; five were dead within a year of leaving; a further three within three years; and 28 were dead within ten years. The job should carry a health warning.

[Peter Kilburn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This wasn't quite the book I expected but it is a fascinating and thoroughly research and annotated history of the role of Prime Minister and covers all of the 55 who have held the office but it isn't actually about the individuals as such except in as far as they developed the post. Some of the most interesting sections are those dealing with the relationship between the PM and the monarch and between the PM and his Foreign Secretary and Chancellor; interestingly the role of Home Secretary gets hardly a mention (with the honourable exception of Roy Jenkins).
Although I have learned more about how things operate in and around No 10 I learned little about the various occupants .
My one real disappointment was that a book published by a reputable University Press contained a number of editing errors

[Jakub Dovcik · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fascinating book! A thorough analytical look at the history of the office of the Prime Minister in the United Kingdom, this masterpiece by Anthony Seldon details the history of its development from early modern versions and consolidation into the present-day setup, and also through its relations with the monarchy, the Foreign Secretary and Chancellor of the Exchequer. It demonstrates that while there have been certain historical forces and movements that shaped it, its present form was far from inevitable. Rather, it has been formed by the various incumbents, who shaped it to their image.

The historical perspective of the development of the interactions between the Crown and parliament, especially in the time of the “liminal premiership” before 1806 shows how some of the present-day conventions even in very young democracies (like my home Slovakia) are in a way a reminiscence from the times when the King or Queen of England/Great Britain/United Kingdom were the true “executives” within the government and the state. It finely shows how the Ministers of the Crown are the representatives of the Crown within the Parliament (and until the mid-19th century were essentially selected by the King, as the PM was primarily somebody who could pass bills through parliament, thus the connection of asking the PM by the King or President to form a government) and the way the development of this nexus gave birth to the position of the Prime Minister as the First Lord of the Treasury under Walpole.

The opening chapter, with a fictionalised discussion between Walpole and Boris Johnson, where it comes up that they both went to the same schools (Eton and Oxford) and have other similarities can be quite misleading to the understanding of the tradition within the office, as Seldon later shows in discussions about the backgrounds of the Prime Ministers. But even the discussions about the changes in the logistical possibilities of the PM show how much has the office in the past 300 years changed.

The book looks at the various topics from a chronological perspective, which is frankly a bit tiring after a while, but nevertheless useful. Chapters about the PM’s interactions with the offices of the Foreign Secretary (whose importance and standing have been dramatically declining in the past hundred-ish years, with the advent of the leaders’ diplomacy) or the Chancellor also go a long way to explain the histories of those offices, which is fascinating in itself. It all shows the extreme importance of the Treasury and taxation to the development of the modern British state and its link to the Parliament through Parliament’s function in approving money bills and taxation (which is different from things like justice or foreign affairs, where the consent of the governed through their political representatives is less necessary).

I really enjoyed the very human aspects in its analysis of the histories of Prime Ministers - from the analyses of the interplays of individual personalities to the roles of their wives and husbands. This longitudinal study then allows for interesting analytical points, like that Heath and Balfour, the only two bachelor PMs, were similar in their misunderstandings of their own feelings and those of their political parties.

Seldon ranks Prime Ministers into groups according to their impact on the office as well as the country - in the first group being Walpole, Pitt the Younger, Peel, Palmerston, Gladstone, Lloyd George, Attlee and Thatcher. I was not remotely aware of how impactful was during the formative period of the office William Pitt the Younger or later William Gladstone (Seldon’s argument is that he was way more impactful than Disraeli, who tried to play the Great game of diplomacy, but besides a few social reforms did not leave much lasting impact). I would argue that Seldon gives a bit too much credit to Thatcher and too little to Blair (especially underestimating his constitutional reforms, reforms of public services or the functioning of the Number 10), but I can be biased.

Interesting was also how the 19th century saw more PMs from the House of Lords (than the 18th) as well as stronger Foreign Secretaries, thanks to figures like Viscount Palmerston or Marquess of Salisbury, who held the roles simultaneously. Similarly useful for the understanding of the development of late 19th century Britain was to understand the impacts of Gladstone and Disraeli during their times as Chancellors before they became PMs. Generally, the trend of past decades towards less experienced Prime Ministers is demonstrated to be limiting the potential of the office.

The book deals less with the roles of people around the Prime Minister - it mentions the Principal Private Secretary, the creation of the Cabinet Office under David Lloyd George or the Policy Unit under Harold Wilson - but it lacks a serious analysis of their importance and at the very end mentions that the PM only needs, on top of some stable Civil Service staff, only a handful of political operators within the Number 10.

Finally, the book offers some recommendations for improving the functioning of the office, that are very sensible and applicable - namely formalisation of the role of the Deputy Prime Minister, offloading some responsibilities within domestic policy and easing the time limits for the PM, professionalisation of the Number 10 staff and creation of something like the National Economic Council (to counterbalance the growing independent power of the Chancellor) for economic policy decision-making, greater use of the Foreign Secretary even within the Number 10 events and greater public education about the role of the Prime Minister.

One of the best political books I have read in a long time.

[Gabriel Stein · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting

This is an extremely interesting book about the office over the British prime minister and how it has developed over 300 years. The author looks at the strengths and weaknesses inherent in the position, at the rise and fall of rivals such as the Foreign Secretary or the Chancellor of the Exchequer, as well as of the monarchy. The only drawback is sloppy proofreading. A king of Prussia, who by the context has to be Frederik I or Frederick William I, is referred to as William I; Winston Churchill’s scientific advisor Lord Cherwell is called Frank, instead of the correct Fred; and King George VI is referred to as Edward, when his name was Albert.

[Caesar · Rating 5 out of 5]

A concise but an extremely insightful book on the history of the role of the Prime Minister in the UK.

[David Margetts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent insight into the office of the PM, over the past 300 years. The book does an excellent job in outlining the changes and challenges facing the PM in his 'Impossible Job' from Walpole to the current incumbent. it successfully portrays the best and the worst of leadership over the decades, and whilst events and circumstances play a large part, skill, character, work ethic, discipline and experience play far greater roles in the successes or failures of a PM. It shows how the influence of the Monarchy has changed and declined since Walpole, as has the role of the Foreign Secretary, whilst the Chancellor has grown in stature, influence and power. Interestingly Seldon helps us to understand some of the best PM's since the role became established, as well as the non-entities and outright failures. The successful game changing PM's include Walpole, Peel, Pitt the Younger, Robert Peel, Palmerston, William Gladstone, David Lloyd George, Clement Attlee, and Margaret Thatcher. Major contributors include Pitt the Elder, Liverpool, Disraeli, Asquith, Baldwin, Churchill, MacMillan, Wilson, Heath and and Blair. Noble failures include North, Russell, Chamberlain and May.
The Jury is still out on Johnson, but it does not look good!!

[Jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well-written and well-researched history of the prime minister, but it may be more enjoyable if you're coming into it with a well-established understanding of the modern responsibilities of the PM and their Cabinet as well as some knowledge of major players that have held the title of PM. Being an American that's been following British politics for only a couple years, I have a relatively decent grasp of the workings of British government, but not enough to avoid getting lost a few times in this book. I could see myself revisiting this book down the line, after a few more years of following & learning, and having a much better time (although hopefully with an updated re-release; at some points in the book I found myself wishing for added context from the past few years, considering at the time I read it there have been 3 prime ministers since the book's publishing 3 years ago).

[Mette · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well researched and interesting book. More historical than I'd expected, which was valuable most of the time but sometimes left me wanting more emphasis on the contemporary stuff.

I particularly enjoyed the chapters on how the foreign office and treasury influence have changed over time, and the final chapter on how successful different PMs have been - and what marks success. I also appreciated how short it was, given the tendency for non fiction to repeat and draw out simple arguments. There were a few repetitive points, but nothing too bad

Interested in how well the book ages - we're already a PM on from Johnson (maybe 2 soon...) and it's evidently written during the Johnson premiership.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Authoritative and wise, as we always expect from Seldon: a careful look at the way the role of the British prime minister has grown and changed from the earliest years to the present day - including taking over more responsibility for foreign affairs, but losing influence over financial ones. It's instructive, and it would be a good thing if more occupants of the role were to have a better grasp of the book's subject and contents.

It's let down, in this second edition, by some hasty additions and alterations. At times it seems unsure who the 'current' prime minister is: Johnson or Sunak. And it's marred by some woeful copy editing: the text has altogether too many typos and there are points where new material's been added and the sense badly garbled. A pity.

[Kevin Camp · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book for both Britons and those interested in British politics, regardless of national origin. This book fills in the gaps for those not schooled in the particulars of the office and much of government as well. The compelling question raised is largely left up to the reader to answer, though its author has his own perspective. The interrogative can be expanded to include the most powerful government roles in Western Democracy, regardless of country. Is the office of the Prime Minister impossible? No, Seldon writes, but it requires an enormous amount of self-discipline, combined with sound leadership, and luck.

[Laurence · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wide ranging survey, perhaps at times trying to range a little too wide.
Particularly interesting in looking at rise and fall of other sources of power, and the problems the power of the Chancellor of the Exchequer have caused in recent times.
While making a lot of references to Walpole and Johnson was interesting in terms of picking up 300th anniversary of office, this meant that events soon after have led to the book appearing dated already; I suspect the same material and theories could have been covered in a way that avoided that.
I broadly agree with authors conclusions, although they feel a little 'jumped to' at the end.

[David Tutt · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very detailed study of the office of Prime Minister who the past 300 years. The book begins with an imagined conversation between Walpole and Johnson (first and current PMs)and draws out the many similarities despite the changes over the period between their terms of office. It goes on to explore the successes and failures of PMs, compare their differing abilities, rate them in different ways and look at their relationships with the monarch and other ministers.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fascinating book that mentions almost everyone that has held the post of UK Prime Minister in the 300 odd years between Walpole and Johnson. However, it is not a story of the individual but of the post that they held and how they dealt with it. The quality of the prose and the research is superb.

[Joseph McHale · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read, took my time with it. Loved how it was laid out, made it easy to pick up and put down as well as enjoy in large sections without feeling too daunting. Full of information and references - authoritative and definitive of the history of the PM. good analysis but would’ve liked to have seen more - overall a recommended read

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent review of the office of Prime Minister and its interactions and interdependencies on the monarchy and other offices in government over 300 years. The book provides a backdrop of social and political history rich in detail.

[Aparna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A detailed study of the British Prime Minister's role, and the history of how it's been shaped from the 1700s to present day.

This took a while to get through, but although it was detail heavy, it was extremely readable.

[Robbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

7/10

[Harry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely goated book if you want to understand almost anything about the prime minister.

[Ryan Armstrong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Contains very important reflections about the office of Prime Minister and those who've held it. As with all Seldon books, it is well written and incisive.

[Dirk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unrivalled in its analysis and comparison, insightful, clearly the best book ever written about this office !!

[George Pickthorn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great analysis and history of UK prime ministers. Really interesting stuff particularly about the developing role of the Chancellor and the new pressures on Downing Street.

[Karl Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

So Anthony Seldon. Marmite, he may be, but I have thoroughly enjoyed the pacy exploration of the life of a PM. His The Impossible Office?, an insistent, occasionally quirky delving into this political Holy grail/poisoned chalice (delete where appropriate), compares and contrasts, in a meticulously referenced fashion, the role of Prime Minster from Walpole to Johnson, and all figures in between. Personally, I would like to have a few more nuggets of Seldon’s biting irony – having met him a handful of times back in his Wellington College and University of Buckingham roles – as his audacious acerbity can be well observed, and quite amusing. However, the book does an excellent job in outlining the changes and challenges facing the 55 (57 now) incumbents of the office over 302 years.

[Stephen Bull · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting and well - researched account of prime ministers of the UK over the 300 years the office has existed. It really shows how difficult a job it is!