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Was John Major a good prime minister?

From May to Thatcher, Stephen Bush and Jonn Elledge explore the tenures of previous leaders in a six-part series from the New Statesman Podcast.

Welcome to Prime Ministerial. In each episode, Jonn Elledge and Stephen Bush look at the legacy of one of the previous six prime ministers and ask whether they achieved success on their own terms.

This episode examines John Major’s premiership. Major inherited a majority government in 1990 after Margaret Thatcher was driven out of office. Against the odds, he won the 1992 general election. But, in the wake of economic upheaval following Black Wednesday and a Conservative Party civil war, as well as the challenge from a resurgent Labour Party, the party suffered a huge defeat in 1997.

Stephen and Jonn speak to the satirist and former Spitting Image writer John O’Farrell and Jonathan Hill, a former adviser to John Major.

Produced by Adrian Bradley and May Robson, with thanks to Caroline Crampton and Nick Hilton.

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