What makes a successful Prime Minister?

How to be a successful prime minister was the subject of Vice-Chancellor Sir Anthony Seldon’s inaugural lecture for the University.

He examined the constraints of the physical space in No 10 and its history and he also talked about what makes the perfect prime minister and revealed his top ten British premiers.

The lecture looked at which were the tallest and the shortest, the grandest to the most heroic, which of the Prime Ministers have been the biggest drinkers and which the biggest lotharios.

Winston Churchill came top of the list for his “uniquely-strong leadership for Britain in 1940”, followed by Britain’s ever youngest Prime Minister, at just 24, William Pitt the Younger. Completing the top three was William Gladstone, who “was a genius as a financial administrator, and a great social, economic and political reformer”.

Sir Anthony said: “The top ten British premiers all made a major difference; something which very few other Prime Ministers have managed. Successful Prime Ministers have often been well above average height, such as Salisbury, or well below it, notably Lloyd George.

“Some factors, though, Prime Ministers can control. They need to make their mark early, as did Peel, Gladstone and Attlee. Having a war is a help if it isn’t messed up – Pitt the Younger, Lloyd George, Churchill and Thatcher all had good wars.”

Britain’s longest serving Prime Minister, Robert Walpole, and Margaret Thatcher, who presided over The Falklands War, came in at fourth and fifth respectively, with Robert Peel close behind in sixth.

Education advocate Benjamin Disraeli, who himself did not go to University, was revealed as seventh best Prime Minister, with Sir Anthony adding that “being too intellectual is no passport to success – look at Rosebery, Arthur Balfour and Harold Macmillan”.

Britain’s Post-War Prime Minister, Clement Attlee, ranked eighth. David Lloyd George reached ninth on the list for his “emergence from such a humble background, his beguiling oratory and his passion for reform”, whilst Lord Grey rounded out the top ten.

Sir Anthony said the biggest factor to a prime minister’s success is “the support of a loving and understanding spouse”, adding “the top five are Hester Pitt, Julia Peel, Catherine Gladstone, Clementine Churchill and Denis Thatcher”.