171-629: The Profumo affair was a major scandal in British politics during the early 1960s. John Profumo , the 46-year-old Secretary of State for War in Harold Macmillan 's Conservative government, had an extramarital affair with the 19-year-old model Christine Keeler beginning in 1961. Profumo denied the affair in a statement to the House of Commons in 1963; weeks later, a police investigation proved that he had lied. The scandal severely damaged
342-408: A Bentley from his ministerial colleague John Hare and took Keeler for a drive around London, and another time the couple had a drink with Viscount Ward , the former Secretary of State for Air . During their time together, Profumo gave Keeler a few small presents, and once, a sum of £ 20 as a gift for her mother. Keeler maintains that although Ward asked her to obtain information from Profumo about
513-561: A Government Minister who is often a Secretary of State and member of the Cabinet . The minister may also be supported by a number of junior ministers. In practice, several government departments and ministers have responsibilities that cover England alone, with devolved bodies having responsibility for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, (for example – the Department of Health ), or responsibilities that mainly focus on England (such as
684-399: A Keynesian strategy of deficit spending to maintain demand and pursuit of corporatist policies to develop the domestic market as the engine of growth. Benefiting from favourable international conditions, he presided over an age of affluence , marked by low unemployment and high—if uneven—growth. In his speech of July 1957 he told the nation it had "never had it so good", but warned of
855-464: A scapegoat for the misdeeds of others, Ward took a fatal overdose during the final stages of his trial, which found him guilty of living off the immoral earnings of Keeler and her friend Mandy Rice-Davies . An inquiry into the Profumo affair by a senior judge, Lord Denning , assisted by a senior civil servant, T. A. Critchley, concluded that there had been no breaches of security arising from
1026-800: A sexual predator and probable tool of the Soviets. The Sunday Mirror (formerly the Sunday Pictorial ) printed Profumo's "Darling" letter. I myself feel that the time will come very soon when my right hon. Friend [the prime minister] ought to make way for a much younger colleague. I feel that that ought to happen ... perhaps some of the words of Browning might be appropriate in his poem on "The Lost Leader", in which he wrote: "Let him never come back to us! There would be doubt, hesitation and pain. Forced praise on our part—the glimmer of twilight, Never glad confident morning again!" Nigel Birch, House of Commons, 17 June 1963 In advance of
1197-761: A French veto of the United Kingdom's entry into the European Economic Community and independent French acquisition of nuclear weapons in 1960 . Near the end of his premiership, his government was rocked by the Vassall Tribunal and the Profumo affair , which to cultural conservatives and supporters of opposing parties alike seemed to symbolise moral decay of the British establishment. Following his resignation, Macmillan lived out
1368-420: A Soviet naval attaché , thereby creating a possible national security risk. Keeler knew both Profumo and Ivanov through her friendship with Stephen Ward , an osteopath and socialite who had taken her under his wing. The exposure of the affair generated rumours of other sex scandals and drew official attention to the activities of Ward, who was charged with a series of immorality offences. Perceiving himself as
1539-469: A bulwark against Soviet totalitarianism and to prevent a recurrence of the horrors of Nazi rule. Although Macmillan played an important role in drafting the " Industrial Charter " ("Crossbencher" in the Sunday Express called it the second edition of The Middle Way ) he now, as MP for a safe seat, adopted a somewhat more right-wing public persona, defending private enterprise and fiercely opposing
1710-718: A chauffeur-driven Humber slipped..." Keeler was then in New York City with Rice-Davies, in an abortive attempt to launch their modelling careers there. On her return to London in September 1962, to counter Gordon's threats, Keeler met and formed a relationship with Johnny Edgecombe , an ex-merchant seaman from Antigua, with whom she lived for a while in Brentford , just west of London. Edgecombe became similarly possessive himself after he and Gordon clashed violently on 27 October 1962, when Edgecombe slashed his rival's face with
1881-657: A critical eye by his opposition counterpart George Wigg , a former regular soldier . Christine Keeler , born in Uxbridge in 1942, left school at age 15 with no qualifications and took a series of short-lived jobs in shops, offices and cafés. She aspired to be a model, and at age 16 had a photograph published in Tit-Bits magazine . In August 1959, Keeler found work as a topless showgirl at Murray's Cabaret Club in Beak Street , Soho . This long-established club attracted
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#17327836881452052-402: A distinguished clientèle of whom, Keeler wrote, they "could look but could not touch". Shortly after starting at Murray's, Keeler was introduced to a client, the society osteopath Stephen Ward . Captivated by Ward's charm, she agreed to move into his flat, in a relationship she has described as "like brother and sister"—affectionate but not sexual. Keeler left Ward after a few months to become
2223-430: A fundamental and permanent change in relations between politicians and press. Davenport-Hines posits a longer-term consequence of the affair—the gradual ending of traditional notions of deference: "Authority, however disinterested, well-qualified and experienced, was [after June 1963] increasingly greeted with suspicion rather than trust". After expressing his "deep remorse" to the prime minister, to his constituents and to
2394-458: A knife. Keeler broke up with Edgecombe shortly afterwards because of his domineering behaviour. On the afternoon of 14 December 1962, Keeler and Rice-Davies were together at Ward's house at 17 Wimpole Mews when Edgecombe arrived, demanding to see Keeler. When he was not allowed in, he fired several shots at the front door. Shortly afterwards, Edgecombe was arrested and charged with attempted murder and other offences. In brief press accounts, Keeler
2565-664: A long retirement as an elder statesman, being an active member of the House of Lords in his final years. He died in December 1986 at the age of 92. Macmillan was born on 10 February 1894, at 52 Cadogan Place in Chelsea , London, to Maurice Crawford Macmillan, a publisher, and the former Helen (Nellie) Artie Tarleton Belles, an artist and socialite from Spencer, Indiana . He had two brothers, Daniel, eight years his senior, and Arthur, four years his senior. His paternal grandfather, Daniel MacMillan , who founded Macmillan Publishers ,
2736-916: A long-time patient who was also a political ally of Profumo. She often spent weekends at a riverside cottage that Ward rented on Astor's country estate, Cliveden , in Buckinghamshire . Stephen Ward, born in Hertfordshire in 1912, qualified as an osteopath in the United States. After the Second World War he began practising in Cavendish Square , London, where he rapidly established a good reputation and attracted many distinguished patients. These connections, together with his personal charm, brought him considerable social success. In his spare time, Ward attended art classes at
2907-942: A more successful post-scandal career as a nightclub owner, businesswoman, minor actress and novelist. She was married three times, in what she described as her "slow descent into respectability". Of adverse press publicity she observed: "Like royalty, I simply do not complain". Rice-Davies died on 18 December 2014, aged 70. Politics of the United Kingdom King Charles III [REDACTED] William, Prince of Wales [REDACTED] Charles III ( King-in-Council ) [REDACTED] Starmer ministry ( L ) Keir Starmer ( L ) Angela Rayner ( L ) ( King-in-Parliament ) [REDACTED] Charles III [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] The Lord Reed The Lord Hodge Andrew Bailey Monetary Policy Committee The United Kingdom
3078-580: A move which Churchill favoured. In June 1944 he argued for a British-led thrust up the Ljubljana Gap into Central Europe (Operation "Armpit") instead of the planned diversion of US and Free French forces to the South of France ( Operation Dragoon ). This proposal impressed Churchill and General Alexander , but did not meet with American approval. Eden sent out Robert Dixon to abolish the job of Resident Minister, there being then no job for Macmillan back in
3249-704: A naked masked man, who acted as a waiter at sex parties; rumours suggested that he was a cabinet minister, or possibly a member of the Royal Family. Malcolm Muggeridge in the Sunday Mirror wrote of "The Slow, Sure Death of the Upper Classes". On 21 June Macmillan instructed Lord Denning, the Master of the Rolls , to investigate and report on the growing range of rumours. Ward's committal proceedings began
3420-464: A personal statement to the House. Such statements are, by long-standing tradition, made on the particular honour of the member and are accepted by the House without question. In the early hours of 22 March Profumo and his lawyers met with ministers and together agreed on an appropriate wording. Later that morning Profumo made his statement to a crowded House. He acknowledged friendships with Keeler and Ward,
3591-783: A potential defector and sought Ward's help to this end, providing him with a case officer known as "Woods". Ward was later used by the Foreign Office as a backchannel , through Ivanov, to the Soviet Union, and was involved in unofficial diplomacy during the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962. Ward's closeness to Ivanov raised concerns about his loyalty; according to Lord Denning 's September 1963 report, Ivanov often asked Ward questions about British foreign policy, and Ward did his best to provide answers. During
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#17327836881453762-679: A pro-British regime to remain in power, as Churchill had demanded in the Percentages agreement the previous autumn. In 1947 the US would take over Britain's role as "protector" of Greece and Turkey, to keep the Soviets out of the Mediterranean, the so-called " Truman Doctrine ". Macmillan was also the minister advising General Keightley of V Corps , the senior Allied commander in Austria responsible for Operation Keelhaul , which included
3933-418: A public career even for the "innocent party". Macmillan and Lady Dorothy lived largely separate lives in private thereafter. The stress caused by that may have contributed to Macmillan's nervous breakdown in 1931. He was often treated with condescension by his aristocratic in-laws and was observed to be a sad and isolated figure at Chatsworth in the 1930s. John Campbell suggests that Macmillan's humiliation
4104-615: A series of operations. He was still on crutches at the Armistice of 11 November 1918 . His hip wound took four years to heal completely, and he was left with a slight shuffle to his walk and a limp grip in his right hand from his previous wound, which affected his handwriting. Macmillan saw himself as both a "gownsman" and a "swordsman" and would later display open contempt for other politicians (e.g. Rab Butler , Hugh Gaitskell , Harold Wilson ) who, often through no fault of their own, had not seen military service in either World War. Of
4275-555: A tank and was under sniper fire at the British Embassy. Despite the hostility of large sections of British and American opinion, who were sympathetic to the guerrillas and hostile to what was seen as imperialist behaviour, he persuaded a reluctant Churchill, who visited Athens later in the month, to accept Archbishop Damaskinos as Regent on behalf of the exiled King George II . A truce was negotiated in January 1945, enabling
4446-647: A week later, at Marylebone magistrates' court , where the Crown's evidence was fully reported in the press. Ward was committed for trial on charges of "living off the earnings of prostitution" and "procuration of girl under twenty-one", and released on bail. With the Ward case now sub judice , the press pursued related stories. The People reported that Scotland Yard had begun an inquiry, in parallel with Denning's, into "homosexual practices as well as sexual laxity" among civil servants, military officers and MPs. On 24 June
4617-532: A working majority in Parliament. A Conservative–Liberal Democrat coalition government held office from 2010 until 2015, the first coalition since 1945. The coalition ended following parliamentary elections on 7 May 2015 , in which the Conservative Party won an outright majority of seats, 330 of the 650 seats in the House of Commons, while their coalition partners lost all but eight seats. With
4788-507: Is I am 21 ... I have lived in the West End of London and frequently been to parties with well-known people present. Presumably if I had been 52 and a housewife from Surbiton there would have been none of this trouble. Christine Keeler, press interview 25 March 1963. The newly elected leader of the opposition Labour Party, Harold Wilson , was initially advised by his colleagues to have nothing to do with Wigg's private dossier on
4959-472: Is a constitutional monarchy which, by legislation and convention , operates as a unitary parliamentary democracy . A hereditary monarch , currently King Charles III , serves as head of state while the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom , currently Sir Keir Starmer since 2024 , serves as the elected head of government . Under the United Kingdom's parliamentary system, executive power
5130-513: Is drawn from and is answerable to Parliament – a successful vote of no confidence will force the government either to resign or to seek a parliamentary dissolution and a general election . In practice, members of parliament of all major parties are strictly controlled by whips who try to ensure they vote according to party policy. If the government has a large majority, then they are very unlikely to lose enough votes to be unable to pass legislation. The Prime Minister, currently Sir Keir Starmer,
5301-586: Is exercised by His Majesty's Government , whose leadership are formally appointed by the King to act in his name. However, the King may only appoint individuals that are members of and have the confidence of the Parliament of the United Kingdom . The Parliament has two houses: the House of Commons and the House of Lords . The Parliament is the UK's supreme legislative body ; however some powers have been devolved to
Profumo affair - Misplaced Pages Continue
5472-435: Is possible that Brook asked Profumo to help MI5 in its efforts to secure Ivanov's defection—a request which Profumo declined. Although Brook did not indicate knowledge of the relationship with Keeler, Profumo may have suspected that he knew. That same day, Profumo wrote Keeler a letter, beginning "Darling ...", cancelling an assignation they had made for the following day. Some commentators have assumed that this letter ended
5643-518: Is the most senior minister in the Cabinet. Their tenure begins when they are appointed by the monarch. The Prime Minister is responsible for chairing Cabinet meetings, selecting Cabinet ministers (and all other positions in His Majesty's government), and formulating government policy. The Prime Minister being the de facto leader of the UK, exercises executive functions that are nominally vested in
5814-580: Is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom (i.e., there is parliamentary sovereignty ), and government is drawn from and answerable to it. Parliament is bicameral , consisting of the House of Commons and the House of Lords . There are also devolved Scottish and Welsh parliaments and a devolved assembly in Northern Ireland, with varying degrees of legislative authority. Harold Macmillan Maurice Harold Macmillan, 1st Earl of Stockton , (10 February 1894 – 29 December 1986)
5985-819: The Daily Telegraph editor Sir Colin Coote , arranged an introduction to Captain Yevgeny Ivanov (anglicised as "Eugene"), listed as a naval attaché at the Soviet Embassy. British Intelligence ( MI5 ) knew from the double agent Oleg Penkovsky that Ivanov was an intelligence officer in the Soviet GRU . Ward and Ivanov became firm friends. Ivanov frequently visited Ward at Wimpole Mews, where he met Keeler and Rice-Davies, and sometimes joined Ward's weekend parties at Cliveden. MI5 considered Ivanov
6156-555: The 1924 general election for Stockton-on-Tees . Losing his seat in 1929, he regained it in 1931, soon after which he spoke out against the high rate of unemployment in Stockton. He opposed the appeasement of Germany practised by the Conservative government. He rose to high office during the Second World War as a protégé of Prime Minister Winston Churchill . In the 1950s Macmillan served as Foreign Secretary and Chancellor of
6327-418: The 2011 Scottish Parliament elections which formed the current Scottish Government administration. In a 2014 referendum on independence 44.7% of voters voted for independence versus 55.3% against. In Northern Ireland, Irish nationalist parties such as Sinn Féin advocate Irish reunification . In Wales, Welsh nationalist parties such as Plaid Cymru support Welsh independence . The constitution of
6498-746: The Battle of the Somme ) in September 1916, he was severely wounded, and lay for over twelve hours in a shell hole, sometimes feigning death when Germans passed, and reading Aeschylus in the original Greek . Raymond Asquith , eldest son of the prime minister, was a brother officer in Macmillan's regiment and was killed that month. Macmillan spent the final two years of the war in King Edward VII's Hospital in Grosvenor Gardens undergoing
6669-412: The Cabinet . After his marriage in 1954 to Valerie Hobson , one of Britain's leading film actresses, Profumo may have conducted casual affairs, using late-night parliamentary sittings as his cover. His tenure as war minister coincided with a period of transition in the armed forces, involving the end of conscription and the development of a wholly professional army. Profumo's performance was watched with
6840-630: The Daily Mirror , under a banner heading "Prince Philip and the Profumo Scandal", dismissed what it termed the "foul rumour" that the prince had been involved in the affair, without disclosing the nature of the rumour. Ward's trial began at the Old Bailey on 28 July. He was charged with living off the earnings of Keeler, Rice-Davies and two other prostitutes, and with procuring women under 21 to have sex with other persons. The thrust of
7011-588: The Department for Education ). Implementation of the Minister's decisions is carried out by a permanent politically neutral organisation known as the Civil Service . Its constitutional role is to support the Government of the day regardless of which political party is in power. Unlike some other democracies, senior civil servants remain in post upon a change of Government. Administrative management of
Profumo affair - Misplaced Pages Continue
7182-698: The Free French leader Charles de Gaulle . Macmillan wrote in his diary during the Casablanca conference: "I christened the two personalities the Emperor of the East and the Emperor of the West and indeed it was rather like a meeting of the late Roman empire". For Macmillan, the "remarkable and romantic episodes" as President Roosevelt met Prime Minister Churchill in Casablanca convinced him that personal diplomacy
7353-472: The Free French government in Algeria (after the liberation of mainland France , he later continued as Ambassador to France from November 1944) and Noel Charles as Ambassador to Italy to reduce Macmillan's influence. In May 1944 Macmillan infuriated Eden by demanding an early peace treaty with Italy (at that time a pro-Allied regime under Badoglio held some power in the southern, liberated, part of Italy),
7524-456: The House of Commons for his old seat in 1931 . Macmillan spent the 1930s on the backbenches. In March 1932 he published "The State and Industry" (not to be confused with his earlier pamphlet "Industry and the State"). In September 1932 he made his first visit to the Soviet Union. Macmillan also published "The Next Step". He advocated cheap money and state direction of investment . In 1933 he
7695-867: The Lord Advocate and Solicitor General are the Members of the Scottish Government and attend meetings of the Scottish cabinet , as set out in the Scotland Act 1998 . They are collectively known as "the Scottish Ministers". The Welsh Government and Senedd have more limited powers than those devolved to Scotland, although following the passing of the Government of Wales Act 2006 and the 2011 Welsh devolution referendum ,
7866-507: The Lord Chancellor , Lord Dilhorne , to inquire into possible security breaches. On 31 May 1963 at the start of the parliamentary Whitsun recess, Profumo and his wife flew to Venice for a short holiday. At their hotel, they received a message asking Profumo to return as soon as possible. Believing that his bluff had been called, Profumo then told his wife the truth, and they decided to return immediately. They found that Macmillan
8037-493: The Metropolitan Police began to investigate his affairs. They interviewed 140 of Ward's friends, associates and patients, maintained a 24-hour watch on his home, and tapped his telephone—this last action requiring direct authorisation from Brooke. Among those who gave statements was Keeler, who contradicted her earlier assurances and confirmed her sexual relationship with Profumo, providing corroborative details of
8208-544: The Northamptonshire Yeomanry , and combined his political and military duties through the Second World War . Profumo lost his seat in the 1945 general election but was elected again in 1950 for Stratford-on-Avon . From 1951 he held junior ministerial office in successive Conservative administrations. In 1960, Macmillan promoted Profumo to Secretary of State for War , a senior post outside
8379-616: The Pictorial ' s offer of a £200 down payment and a further £800 when the story was published. The Pictorial retained a copy of the "Darling" letter. Meanwhile, the News of the World alerted Ward and Astor—whose names had been mentioned by Keeler—and they in turn informed Profumo. When Profumo's lawyers tried to persuade Keeler not to publish, the compensation she demanded was so large that they considered charges of extortion . Ward informed
8550-409: The Pictorial that Keeler's story was largely false and threatened to sue if it was printed, whereupon the paper withdrew its offer, although Keeler kept the £200. Keeler then gave details of her affair with Profumo to a police officer, who did not pass on this information to MI5 or the legal authorities. By this time, many of Profumo's political colleagues had heard rumours of his entanglement, and of
8721-681: The Scottish Government , the Welsh Government and the Northern Ireland Executive . The monarch appoints a Prime Minister as the head of His Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom , guided by the strict convention that the Prime Minister should be the member of the House of Commons most likely to be able to form a Government with the support of that House. In practice, this means that
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#17327836881458892-421: The Slade school , and developed a profitable sideline in portrait sketches. In 1960 he was commissioned by The Illustrated London News to provide a series of portraits of national and international figures. These included members of the Royal Family , among them Prince Philip and Princess Margaret . Ward hoped to visit the Soviet Union to draw portraits of Russian leaders. To help him, one of his patients,
9063-399: The energy network , the environment, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service , some aspects of equality legislation, housing, planning, sport , culture , tourism , the Crown Estate , onshore oil and gas licensing , some aspects of taxation including Scottish council tax and transport . In the 2024–25 financial year, its annual budget was almost £60 billion. The government is led by
9234-429: The first minister , assisted by the deputy first minister alongside various Ministers with individual portfolios and remits. The Scottish Parliament nominates a Member to be appointed as First Minister by the King . The first minister then appoints their Ministers (known as Cabinet Secretaries) and junior Ministers, subject to approval by the Parliament. The first minister, the Ministers (but not junior ministers ),
9405-401: The parliaments of Scotland , Wales and Northern Ireland . The British political system is a multiple-party system and was according to the V-Dem Democracy Indices 2023 the 22nd most electorally democratic in the world. Since the 1920s, the two dominant parties have been the Conservative Party and the Labour Party . Before the Labour Party rose in British politics, the Liberal Party
9576-562: The partition of Ireland , Northern Ireland received home rule in 1920, though civil unrest meant direct rule was restored in 1972. Support for nationalist parties in Scotland and Wales led to proposals for devolution in the 1970s, though only in the 1990s did devolution happen. Today, Scotland , Wales and Northern Ireland each possess a parliament and government, with devolution in Northern Ireland being conditional on participation in certain all-Ireland institutions . The British government remains responsible for non-devolved matters and, in
9747-430: The prosecution 's case related to Keeler and Rice-Davies, and turned on whether the small contributions to household expenses or loan repayments they had given to Ward while living with him amounted to his living off their prostitution. Ward's approximate income at the time, from his practice and from his portraiture, had been around £5,500 a year, a substantial sum at that time. In his speeches and examination of witnesses,
9918-433: The 1970s, she said, "I was not living, I was surviving". Keeler published several inconsistent accounts of her life, in which Ward has been variously represented as a "gentleman", her truest love, a Soviet spy, and a traitor ranking alongside the Cambridge Five . Keeler also claimed that Profumo impregnated her and that she subsequently underwent a painful abortion. Keeler died on 4 December 2017, aged 75. Rice-Davies enjoyed
10089-422: The British government away from the sovereign. Theoretically, the Prime Minister is primus inter pares (i.e., Latin for "first among equals") among their Cabinet colleagues. While the Prime Minister is the senior Cabinet Minister, they are theoretically bound to make executive decisions in a collective fashion with the other Cabinet ministers. The Cabinet, along with the PM, consists of Secretaries of State from
10260-460: The Cabinet list, was a poisoned chalice, writing in his diary (28 October 1951) that it was "not my cup of tea at all ... I really haven't a clue how to set about the job". It meant obtaining scarce steel, cement and timber when the Treasury were trying to maximise exports and minimise imports. 'It is a gamble—it will make or mar your political career,' Churchill said, 'but every humble home will bless your name if you succeed.' By July 1952 Macmillan
10431-489: The Conservative Party, Profumo disappeared from public view. In April 1964 he began working as a volunteer at the Toynbee Hall settlement, a charitable organisation based in Spitalfields which supports the most deprived residents in the East End of London . Profumo continued his association with the settlement for the remainder of his life, at first in a menial capacity, then as administrator, fund-raiser, council member, chairman and finally president. Profumo's charitable work
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#173278368814510602-525: The Conservatives faced landslide defeat after the war, causing Channon to write (6 Sep 1944) of "the foolish prophecy of that nice ass Harold Macmillan". In October 1942 Harold Nicolson recorded Macmillan as predicting "extreme socialism" after the war. Macmillan nearly resigned when Oliver Stanley was appointed Secretary of State in November 1942, as he would no longer be the spokesman in the Commons as he had been under Cranborne. Brendan Bracken advised him not to quit. After Harry Crookshank had refused
10773-587: The Crown 's key witnesses, was missing. She had, without informing the court, gone to Spain , although at this stage her whereabouts were unknown. Her unexplained absence caused a press sensation. Every newspaper knew the rumours linking Keeler with Profumo, but refrained from reporting any direct connection; in the wake of the Radcliffe inquiry they were, in Wigg's later words, "willing to wound but afraid to strike". They could only hint, by front-page juxtapositions of stories and photographs, that Profumo might be connected to Keeler's disappearance. Despite Keeler's absence
10944-412: The Duke's daughter Lady Dorothy was announced on 7 January 1920. He relinquished his commission on 1 April 1920. As was common for contemporary former officers, he continued to be known as 'Captain Macmillan' until the early 1930s and was listed as such in every general election between 1923 and 1931. As late as his North African posting of 1942–43 he reminded Churchill that he held the rank of captain in
11115-425: The Edgecombe trial but had been confused about the date. She was required to forfeit her recognizance of £40, but no other action was taken against her. Shortly after Profumo's Commons statement, Ward appeared on Independent Television News , where he endorsed Profumo's version and dismissed all rumours and insinuations as "baseless". Ward's own activities had become a matter of official concern, and on 1 April 1963
11286-454: The Elder . Her nephew William Cavendish, Marquess of Hartington , married Kathleen Kennedy , a sister of John F. Kennedy . In 1929, Lady Dorothy began a lifelong affair with the Conservative politician Robert Boothby , an arrangement that scandalised high society but remained unknown to the general public. Philip Frere, a partner in Frere Cholmely solicitors, urged Macmillan not to divorce his wife, which at that time would have been fatal to
11457-418: The Exchequer under Anthony Eden . When Eden resigned in 1957 following the Suez Crisis , Macmillan succeeded him as prime minister and Leader of the Conservative Party . He was a One Nation Tory of the Disraelian tradition and supported the post-war consensus . He supported the welfare state and the necessity of a mixed economy with some nationalised industries and strong trade unions. He championed
11628-443: The Greeks in the American empire. You will find the Americans much as the Greeks found the Romans—great big, vulgar bustling people, more vigorous than we are and also more idle, with more unspoiled virtues, but also more corrupt. We must run AFHQ ( Allied Forces Headquarters ) as the Greek slaves ran the operations of the Emperor Claudius ". At the Casablanca Conference Macmillan helped to secure US acceptance, if not recognition, of
11799-417: The Guards reserve. On his return to London in 1920 he joined the family publishing firm Macmillan Publishers as a junior partner. In 1936, Harold and his brother Daniel took control of the firm, with the former focusing on the political and non-fiction side of the business. Harold resigned from the company on appointment to ministerial office in 1940. He resumed working with the firm from 1945 to 1951 when
11970-451: The House of Commons Chamber. Macmillan finally attained office by serving in the wartime coalition government as the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Supply from 1940. Channon commented (29 May 1940) that there was "some amusement over Harold Macmillan's so obvious enjoyment of his new position". Macmillan's job was to provide armaments and other equipment to the British Army and Royal Air Force . He travelled up and down
12141-409: The House of Commons debate on Profumo's resignation, due 17 June, David Watt in The Spectator defined Macmillan's position as "an intolerable dilemma from which he can only escape by being proved either ludicrously naïve or incompetent or deceitful—or all three". Meanwhile, the press speculated about possible Cabinet resignations, and several ministers felt it necessary to demonstrate their loyalty to
12312-707: The Italian armistice in August 1943, between the fall of Sicily and the Salerno Landings . This caused friction with Eden and the Foreign Office. He was based at Caserta for the rest of the war. He was appointed UK High Commissioner for the Advisory Council for Italy late in 1943. He visited London in October 1943 and again clashed with Eden. Eden appointed Duff Cooper as Representative to
12483-502: The Ivanov connection. Denning's report was later described as superficial and unsatisfactory. Profumo subsequently worked as a volunteer at Toynbee Hall , an East London charitable trust. By 1975 he had been officially rehabilitated, although he did not return to public life. He died, honoured and respected, in 2006. By contrast, Keeler found it difficult to escape the negative image attached to her by press, law, and parliament throughout
12654-492: The Labour government in the House of Commons. With the Conservative victory in 1951 Macmillan became Minister of Housing & Local Government under Churchill, who entrusted him with fulfilling the pledge to build 300,000 houses per year (up from the previous target of 200,000 a year), made in response to a speech from the floor at the 1950 Party Conference. Macmillan thought at first that Housing, which ranked 13 out of 16 in
12825-454: The Liberal vote let him win in 1924 . In 1927, four MPs, including Boothby and Macmillan, published a short book advocating radical measures. In 1928, Macmillan was described by his political hero, and now Parliamentary colleague, David Lloyd George, as a "born rebel". Macmillan lost his seat in 1929 in the face of high regional unemployment. He almost became Conservative candidate for
12996-496: The Mediterranean (SACMED), which proved helpful in his career, and Richard Crossman later recalled that Macmillan's "Greeks in the Roman Empire" metaphor dated from this time (i.e., that as the US replaced Britain as the world's leading power, British politicians and diplomats should aim to guide her in the same way that Greek slaves and freedmen had advised powerful Romans). Macmillan told Crossman: "We, my dear Crossman, are
13167-759: The November 1945 by-election in Bromley . In his diary Harold Nicolson noted the feelings of the Tory backbenchers: "They feel that Winston is too old and Anthony (Eden) too weak. They want Harold Macmillan to lead them." He was a member of the British delegation to the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe from 1949 to 1951, and played a prominent role – as a key aide and ally of Winston Churchill – in pressing for greater European integration as
13338-483: The Profumo affair and that the security services and government ministers had acted appropriately. Profumo had been guilty of an "indiscretion", but no one could doubt his loyalty. Denning also found no evidence to link members of the government with associated scandals such as the "man in the mask". He laid most of the blame for the affair on Ward, an "utterly immoral" man whose diplomatic activities were "misconceived and misdirected". Although The Spectator considered that
13509-525: The Profumo rumours. On 21 March, with the press furore over the "missing witness" at its height, the party changed its stance. During a House of Commons debate, Wigg used parliamentary privilege to ask the Home Secretary to categorically deny the truth of rumours connecting "a minister" to Keeler, Rice-Davies and the Edgecombe shooting. He did not name Profumo, who was not in the House. Later in
13680-567: The Senedd can now legislate in some areas through an Act of Senedd Cymru . The current First Minister of Wales , or Prif Weinidog Cymru in Welsh, is Eluned Morgan of Welsh Labour . Assembly have powers closer to those already devolved to Scotland. The Northern Ireland Executive is led by a diarchy , most recently First Minister Michelle O'Neill ( Sinn Féin ) and deputy First Minister Emma-Little Pengelly ( DUP ) The British Parliament
13851-720: The Soviet government, sensing a possible scandal, recalled Ivanov. Aware of increasing public interest, Keeler attempted to sell her story to the national newspapers. The Radcliffe tribunal's ongoing inquiry into press behaviour during the Vassall case was making newspapers nervous, and only two showed interest in Keeler's story: the Sunday Pictorial and the News of the World . As the latter would not join an auction, Keeler accepted
14022-518: The UK, but he managed to prevent his job being abolished. Churchill visited Italy in August 1944. On 14 September 1944 Macmillan was appointed Chief Commissioner of the Allied Control Commission for Italy (in succession to General Noel Mason-MacFarlane ). He continued to be British Minister Resident at Allied Headquarters and British political adviser to "Jumbo" Wilson , now Supreme Commander, Mediterranean. On 10 November 1944 he
14193-596: The United Kingdom is uncodified , being made up of constitutional conventions , statutes and other elements. This system of government, known as the Westminster system , has been adopted by other countries, especially those that were formerly parts of the British Empire . The United Kingdom is also responsible for several dependencies, which fall into two categories: the Crown Dependencies , in
14364-587: The actress wife of Irish dramatist Seán O'Casey , was another female friend, Macmillan publishing her husband's plays. Although she is said to have replaced Lady Dorothy in Macmillan's affections, there is disagreement over how intimate they became after the deaths of their respective spouses, and whether he proposed. Macmillan contested the depressed northern industrial constituency of Stockton-on-Tees in 1923 . The campaign cost him about £200-£300 out of his own pocket; at that time candidates were often expected to fund their own election campaigns. The collapse in
14535-465: The air", stated openly that the statement should be taken at its face value. Within a few days press attention was distracted by the re-emergence of Keeler in Madrid . She expressed astonishment at the fuss her absence had caused, adding that her friendship with Profumo and his wife was entirely innocent and that she had many friends in important positions. Keeler claimed that she had not deliberately missed
14706-524: The association; Keeler insisted that the affair ended later, after her persistent refusals to stop living with Ward. In October 1961 Keeler accompanied Ward to Notting Hill , then a run-down district of London replete with West Indian music clubs and cannabis dealers. At the Rio Café they encountered Aloysius "Lucky" Gordon , a Jamaican jazz singer with a history of violence and petty crime. Gordon and Keeler embarked on an affair which, in her own accounts,
14877-555: The case of Northern Ireland, co-operates with the government of the Republic of Ireland . Devolution of executive and legislative powers may have contributed to increased support for independence in the constituent parts of the United Kingdom . The principal Scottish pro-independence party, the Scottish National Party , became a minority government in 2007 and then went on to win an overall majority of MSPs at
15048-480: The company of the Queen Mother . While the matter was officially considered closed, many individual MPs had doubts, although none openly expressed disbelief at this stage. Wigg later said that he left the House that morning "with black rage in my heart because I knew what the facts were. I knew the truth." Most newspapers were editorially non-committal; only The Guardian , under the headline "Mr Profumo clears
15219-583: The country to co-ordinate production, working with some success under Lord Beaverbrook to increase the supply and quality of armoured vehicles . Macmillan was appointed Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies in 1942, in his own words "leaving a madhouse to enter a mausoleum". Though a junior minister he was a member of the Privy Council , and he spoke in the House of Commons for Colonial Secretaries Lord Moyne and Lord Cranborne . Macmillan
15390-462: The credibility of Macmillan's government, and Macmillan resigned as Prime Minister in October 1963, citing ill health. The fallout contributed to the Conservative government's defeat by the Labour Party in the 1964 general election . When the Profumo affair was revealed, public interest was heightened by reports that Keeler may have been simultaneously involved with Captain Yevgeny Ivanov ,
15561-538: The dangers of inflation, summing up the fragile prosperity of the 1950s. He led the Conservatives to success in 1959 with an increased majority. In international affairs, Macmillan worked to rebuild the Special Relationship with the United States from the wreckage of the 1956 Suez Crisis (of which he had been one of the architects), and facilitated the decolonisation of Africa. Reconfiguring
15732-505: The daughter of the 9th Duke of Devonshire , on 21 April 1920. Her great-uncle was Spencer Cavendish, 8th Duke of Devonshire , who was leader of the Liberal Party in the 1870s, and a close colleague of William Ewart Gladstone , Joseph Chamberlain and Lord Salisbury . Lady Dorothy was also descended from William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire , who served as prime minister from 1756 to 1757 in communion with Newcastle and Pitt
15903-513: The debate Barbara Castle , the Labour MP for Blackburn , referred to the "missing witness" and hinted at a possible perversion of justice . The Home Secretary, Henry Brooke , refused to comment, adding that Wigg and Castle should "seek other means of making these insinuations if they are prepared to substantiate them". At the conclusion of the debate, the government's law officers and Chief Whip agreed that Profumo should assert his innocence in
16074-482: The department is led by a head civil servant known in most Departments as a Permanent secretary . The majority of the civil service staff in fact work in executive agencies , which are separate operational organisations reporting to Departments of State. "Whitehall" is often used as a metonym for the central core of the Civil Service. This is because most Government Departments have headquarters in and around
16245-489: The deployment of nuclear weapons, she did not do so. Profumo was equally adamant that no such discussions took place. On 9 August, Profumo was interviewed informally by Sir Norman Brook , the Cabinet Secretary , who had been advised by Hollis of Profumo's involvement with Ward's group. Brook warned the minister of the dangers of being entangled with Ward since MI5 were at this stage unsure of his dependability. It
16416-540: The early 1960s, the British news media were dominated by several high-profile spying stories: the breaking of the Portland spy ring in 1961, the capture and sentencing of George Blake in the same year and, in 1962, the case of John Vassall , a homosexual Admiralty clerk who had been blackmailed into spying by the Soviet Union . Vassall was subsequently sentenced to eighteen years in prison. After suggestions in
16587-820: The end of 1918 Macmillan joined the Guards Reserve Battalion at Chelsea Barracks for "light duties". On one occasion he had to command reliable troops in a nearby park as a unit of Guardsmen was briefly refusing to reembark for France, although the incident was resolved peacefully. The incident prompted an inquiry from the War Office as to whether the Guards Reserve Battalion "could be relied on". Macmillan then served in Ottawa , Canada, in 1919 as aide-de-camp (ADC) to Victor Cavendish, 9th Duke of Devonshire , then Governor General of Canada , and his future father-in-law. The engagement of Captain Macmillan to
16758-453: The eve of the Conservative Party's annual conference in October 1963 he fell ill; his condition was less serious than he imagined and his life was not in danger but, convinced he had cancer, he resigned abruptly. Macmillan's successor as prime minister was Lord Home , who renounced his peerage and served as Sir Alec Douglas-Home. In the October 1964 general election the Conservative Party
16929-557: The event of defeat. Macmillan returned to England after the European war, feeling himself 'almost a stranger at home'. He was Secretary of State for Air for two months in Churchill's caretaker government , 'much of which was taken up in electioneering', there being 'nothing much to be done in the way of forward planning'. Macmillan indeed lost Stockton in the landslide Labour victory of July 1945 , but returned to Parliament in
17100-480: The existence of a potentially incriminating letter. Nevertheless, his denials were accepted by the government's principal law officers and the Conservative Chief Whip , although with some private scepticism. Macmillan, mindful of the injustice done to Galbraith on the basis of rumours, was determined to support his minister and took no action. Edgecombe's trial began on 14 March but Keeler, one of
17271-437: The extent to which Macmillan and his colleagues had been dilatory in not identifying a clear security risk arising from Profumo's association with Ward and his circle. Macmillan responded that he should not be held culpable for believing a colleague who had repeatedly asserted his innocence. He mentioned the false allegations against Galbraith, and the failure of the security services to share their detailed information with him. In
17442-585: The forced repatriation of up to 70,000 prisoners of war to the Soviet Union and Josip Broz Tito 's Yugoslavia in 1945. The deportations and Macmillan's involvement later became a source of controversy because of the harsh treatment meted out to Nazi collaborators and anti-partisans by the receiving countries, and because in the confusion V Corps went beyond the terms agreed at Yalta and Allied Forces Headquarters directives by repatriating 4000 White Russian troops and 11,000 civilian family members. Macmillan toyed with an offer to succeed Duff Cooper as MP for
17613-567: The former Royal Palace Whitehall . The Scottish Government is responsible for all issues that are not explicitly reserved to the United Kingdom Parliament at Westminster , by the Scotland Act ; including NHS Scotland , education , justice , rural affairs, agriculture, forestry and fisheries, some aspects of the benefits system , elections to the Scottish Parliament and local government, some aspects of
17784-413: The former of whom, he said, he had last seen in December 1961. He had met "a Mr Ivanov" twice, also in 1961. He stated: "There was no impropriety whatsoever in my acquaintanceship with Miss Keeler", and added: "I shall not hesitate to issue writs for libel and slander if scandalous allegations are made or repeated outside the House." That afternoon, Profumo was photographed at Sandown Park Racecourse in
17955-617: The general debate the sexual aspects of the scandal were fully discussed; Nigel Birch , the Conservative MP for West Flintshire , referred to Keeler as a "professional prostitute" and asked rhetorically: "What are whores about?" Keeler was otherwise branded a "tart" and a "poor little slut". Ward was vilified throughout as a likely Soviet agent; one Conservative referred to "the treason of Dr Ward". Most Conservatives, whatever their reservations, were supportive of Macmillan, with only Birch suggesting that he should consider retirement. In
18126-549: The immediate vicinity of the UK, are strictly-speaking subject to the Crown (i.e., the Monarch) but not part of the sovereign territory of the United Kingdom (though de facto British territory), and British Overseas Territories , as British colonies were re-designated in 1983, which are part of the sovereign territory of the United Kingdom, in most of which aspects of internal governance have been delegated to local governments, with each territory having its own first minister, though
18297-573: The independent candidate, Lindsay , at the 1938 Oxford by-election . He wrote a pamphlet "The Price of Peace" calling for alliance between Britain, France and the USSR, but expecting Poland to make territorial "accommodation" to Germany (i.e. give up the Danzig corridor ). In "Economic Aspects of Defence", early in 1939, he called for a Ministry of Supply. Macmillan visited Finland in February 1940, then
18468-474: The interior of the Chester Terrace house. The police put pressure on reluctant witnesses; Rice-Davies was remanded to Holloway Prison for a driving licence offence and held there for eight days until she agreed to testify against Ward. Meanwhile, Profumo was awarded costs and £50 damages against the British distributors of an Italian magazine that had printed a story hinting at his guilt. He donated
18639-406: The issue or withdrawal of passports, to the dismissal of the prime minister or even the declaration of war. The powers are delegated from the monarch personally, in the name of the Crown, and can be handed to various ministers, or other officers of the Crown, and can purposely bypass the consent of Parliament. The head of His Majesty's Government , the prime minister, also has weekly meetings with
18810-605: The job, Macmillan attained real power and Cabinet rank late in 1942 as British Minister Resident at Algiers in the Mediterranean, recently liberated in Operation Torch . He reported directly to the Prime Minister instead of to the Foreign Secretary , Anthony Eden . Oliver Lyttelton had a similar job at Cairo, while Robert Murphy was Macmillan's US counterpart. Macmillan built a rapport with US General Dwight D. Eisenhower , then Supreme Allied Commander in
18981-452: The judge proceeded with the case; Edgecombe was found guilty on a lesser charge of possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life, and sentenced to seven years' imprisonment. A few days after the trial, on 21 March, the satirical magazine Private Eye printed the most detailed summary so far of the rumours, with the main characters lightly disguised: "Mr James Montesi", "Miss Gaye Funloving", "Dr Spook" and "Vladimir Bolokhov". The trouble
19152-425: The jury that Gordon's witnesses had turned up and testified that Keeler, a key prosecution witness against Ward, had given false evidence at Gordon's trial. After listening to Marshall's damning summing-up, on the evening of 30 July Ward took an overdose of sleeping tablets and was taken to hospital. On the next day, he was found guilty in absentia on the charges relating to Keeler and Rice-Davies, and acquitted on
19323-419: The leader of the political party with an absolute majority of seats in the House of Commons is chosen to be the Prime Minister. If no party has an absolute majority, the leader of the largest party is given the first opportunity to form a coalition. The Prime Minister then selects the other Ministers which make up the Government and act as political heads of the various Government Departments . About twenty of
19494-521: The leadership of both the Labour and Conservative parties. Macmillan supported Chamberlain's first flight for talks with Hitler at Berchtesgaden, but not his subsequent flights to Bad Godesberg and Munich. After Munich he was looking for a "1931 in reverse", i.e. a Labour-dominated coalition in which some Conservatives would serve, the reverse of the Conservative-dominated coalition which had governed Britain since 1931. He supported
19665-488: The lifting of sanctions on Italy after her conquest of Abyssinia . "Chips" Channon described him as the "unprepossessing, bookish, eccentric member for Stockton-on-Tees" and recorded (8 July 1936) that he had been sent a "frigid note" by Conservative Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin . Baldwin later mentioned that he had survived by steering a middle course between Macmillan and John Gretton , an extreme right-winger. The Next Five Years Group, to which Macmillan had belonged,
19836-533: The mistress of the property dealer Peter Rachman , and later shared lodgings with Mandy Rice-Davies , a fellow Murray's dancer two and a half years her junior. The two girls left Murray's and attempted without success to pursue careers as freelance models. Keeler also lived for short periods with various boyfriends, but regularly returned to Ward, who had acquired a house in Wimpole Mews , Marylebone . There she met many of Ward's friends, among them Lord Astor ,
20007-434: The most senior government ministers make up the Cabinet and approximately 100 ministers in total comprise the government. In accordance with constitutional convention , all ministers within the government are either Members of Parliament or peers in the House of Lords . As in some other parliamentary systems of government (especially those based upon the Westminster system ), the executive (called "the government")
20178-700: The nation's defences to meet the realities of the nuclear age, he ended National Service , strengthened the nuclear forces by acquiring Polaris , and pioneered the Nuclear Test Ban with the United States and the Soviet Union. After the Skybolt Crisis undermined the Anglo-American strategic relationship, he sought a more active role for Britain in Europe, but his unwillingness to disclose United States nuclear secrets to France contributed to
20349-479: The national government performs the role of local government within that area). The British monarch , currently King Charles III , is the head of state of the United Kingdom . Though he takes little direct part in government, the Crown remains the fount in which ultimate executive power over government lies. These powers are known as royal prerogative and can be used for a vast amount of things, such as
20520-520: The next day for various trips and then a holiday so won't be able to see you again until some time in September. Blast it. Please take great care of yourself and don't run away. Love J" From Profumo's "Darling" letter to Keeler, 9 August 1961 The couple usually met at Wimpole Mews, when Ward was absent, although once, when Hobson was away, Profumo took Keeler to his home at Chester Terrace in Regent's Park . On one occasion he borrowed
20691-449: The other counts. Sentence was postponed until Ward was fit to appear, but on 3 August he died without regaining consciousness. On 9 August, a coroner's jury ruled Ward's death as suicide by barbiturate poisoning, though some biographers consider the possibility that he was murdered. Lord Denning's report was awaited with great anticipation by the public. Published on 26 September 1963, it concluded that there had been no security leaks in
20862-505: The party was in opposition. According to Michael Bloch , there have long been rumours that Macmillan was expelled from Eton for homosexuality. Macmillan's biographer D. R. Thorpe is of the view that he was removed by his mother when she discovered that he was being "used" by older boys. Dick Leonard reports that Alistair Horne refers to "inevitable rumours" and that "he left for the 'usual reasons' for boys to be expelled from public schools". Macmillan married Lady Dorothy Cavendish ,
21033-400: The police inquiry were proving ruinous to Ward, whose practice was collapsing rapidly. On 7 May he met Macmillan's private secretary, Timothy Bligh , to ask that the police inquiry into his affairs be halted. He added that he had been covering for Profumo, whose Commons statement was substantially false. Bligh took notes but failed to take action. On 19 May Ward wrote to Brooke, with essentially
21204-417: The police told the court, could not be found. On 7 June, principally on the evidence of Keeler, Gordon was found guilty and sentenced to three years' imprisonment. The following day, Ward was arrested and charged with immorality offences. On 9 June, freed from Profumo's libel threats, the News of the World published "The Confessions of Christine", an account which helped to fashion the public image of Ward as
21375-567: The press and the Conservative government of Prime Minister Harold Macmillan ; columnist Paul Johnson of the New Statesman warned, "any Tory minister or MP ... who gets involved in a scandal during the next year or so must expect—I regret to say—the full treatment". John Profumo was born in 1915 and was of Italian descent. He first entered Parliament in 1940 as the Conservative member for Kettering while serving with
21546-458: The press that Vassall had been shielded by his political masters, the responsible minister, Thomas Galbraith , resigned from the government pending inquiries. Galbraith was later exonerated by the Vassall Tribunal , after which judge Lord Radcliffe sent two newspaper journalists to prison for refusing to reveal their sources for sensational and uncorroborated stories about Vassall's private life. The imprisonment severely damaged relations between
21717-406: The prime minister. In a BBC interview on 13 June Lord Hailsham , holder of several ministerial offices, denounced Profumo in a manner which, according to The Observer , "had to be seen to be believed". Hailsham said that "a great party is not to be brought down because of a squalid affair between a woman of easy virtue and a proven liar". In the debate, Wilson concentrated almost exclusively on
21888-434: The proceeds to an army charity. This did not deter Private Eye from including "Sextus Profano" in their parody of Gibbon 's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire . On 18 April 1963 Keeler was attacked at the home of a friend. She accused Gordon, who was arrested and held. According to Knightley and Kennedy's account, the police offered to drop the charges if Gordon would testify against Ward, but he refused. The effects of
22059-429: The prosecuting counsel Mervyn Griffith-Jones portrayed Ward as representing "the very depths of lechery and depravity". The judge, Sir Archie Marshall , was equally hostile, drawing particular attention to the fact that none of Ward's supposed society friends had been prepared to speak up for him. Towards the end of the trial, news came that Gordon's conviction for assault had been overturned; Marshall did not disclose to
22230-488: The report marked the end of the affair, many commentators were disappointed with its content. Young found many questions unanswered and some of the reasoning defective, while Davenport-Hines, writing long after the event, condemns the report as disgraceful, slipshod and prurient. After the Denning Report, in defiance of general expectations that he would resign shortly, Macmillan announced his intention to stay on. On
22401-463: The right hand and receiving a glancing bullet wound to the head in the Battle of Loos in September 1915, Macmillan was sent to Lennox Gardens in Chelsea for hospital treatment, then joined a reserve battalion at Chelsea Barracks from January to March 1916, until his hand had healed. He then returned to the front lines in France. Leading an advance platoon in the Battle of Flers–Courcelette (part of
22572-408: The safe Conservative seat of Westminster St George's . Criticised locally for his long absence, he suggested that Lady Dorothy stand for Stockton in 1945, as she had been nursing the seat for five years. She was apparently willing. However, it was thought better for him to be seen to defend his seat, and Lord Beaverbrook had already spoken to Churchill to arrange that Macmillan be given another seat in
22743-414: The safe seat of Hitchin in 1931. However the sitting MP, Guy Kindersley cancelled his retirement plans, in part because of his own association with the anti-Baldwin rebels and his suspicion of Macmillan's sympathy for Oswald Mosley 's promises of radical measures to reduce unemployment. Instead, the resignation of the new candidate at Stockton allowed Macmillan to be re-selected there, and he returned to
22914-428: The same request as that to Bligh, only to be told that the Home Secretary had no power to interfere with the police inquiry. Ward then gave details to the press, but no paper would print the story. He also wrote to Wilson, who showed the letter to Macmillan. Although privately disdainful of Wilson's motives, after discussions with Hollis, the prime minister was sufficiently concerned about Ward's general activities to ask
23085-587: The scandal. In various, sometimes contradictory, accounts, she challenged Denning's conclusions relating to security issues. Ward's conviction has been described by analysts as an act of establishment revenge, rather than serving justice. In the 2010s the Criminal Cases Review Commission reviewed his case but decided against referring it to the Court of Appeal . Dramatisations of the Profumo affair have been shown on stage and screen. In
23256-577: The scholars and exhibitioners of his year, only he and one other survived the war. As a result, he refused to return to Oxford to complete his degree, saying the university would never be the same; in later years he joked that he had been "sent down by the Kaiser ". Owing to the impending contraction of the Army after the war, a regular commission in the Grenadiers was out of the question. However, at
23427-538: The sovereign (by way of the Royal Prerogatives). Historically, the British monarch was the sole source of executive powers in the government. However, following the lead of the Hanoverian monarchs, an arrangement of a "Prime Minister" chairing and leading the Cabinet began to emerge. Over time, this arrangement became the effective executive branch of government, as it assumed the day-to-day functioning of
23598-480: The sovereign, where they may express their feelings, warn, or advise the prime minister in the government's work. According to the uncodified constitution of the United Kingdom, the monarch has the following powers: Domestic powers Foreign powers Executive power in the United Kingdom is exercised by the Sovereign, King Charles III , via His Majesty's Government and the devolved national authorities –
23769-778: The subject of great sympathy in Britain as it was being invaded by the USSR , then loosely allied to Nazi Germany. His last speech from the backbenches was to attack the government for not doing enough to help Finland. Britain was saved from a potentially embarrassing commitment when the Winter War ended in March 1940. Macmillan voted against the Government in the Norway Debate of May 1940, helping to bring down Neville Chamberlain as prime minister, and tried to join in with Colonel Josiah Wedgwood singing " Rule, Britannia! " in
23940-452: The subsequent vote on the government's handling of the affair, 27 Conservatives abstained, reducing the government's majority to 69. Most newspapers considered the extent of the defection significant, and several forecast that Macmillan would soon resign. After the parliamentary debate, newspapers published further sensational stories, hinting at widespread immorality within Britain's governing class. A story emanating from Rice-Davies concerned
24111-622: The title used may differ, such as in the case of the Chief Minister of Gibraltar, though they remain subject to the Parliament of the United Kingdom (when United Kingdom is used to refer only to that part of the British Realm, or sovereign British territory, which is governed directly by the British Government, and not via local subsidiary governments, United Kingdom logically refers to a local government area, though
24282-993: The various government departments, the Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain , the Lord Privy Seal , the Lord President of the Council , the President of the Board of Trade , the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Ministers without portfolio . Cabinet meetings are typically held weekly, while Parliament is in session. The Government of the United Kingdom contains a number of ministries known mainly, though not exclusively as departments, e.g., Department for Education . These are politically led by
24453-544: The war not intervened. He obtained a First in Honour Moderations , informally known as 'Mods' (consisting of Latin and Greek, the first half of the four-year Oxford Literae Humaniores course, informally known as "Classics"), in 1914. With his final exams over two years away, he enjoyed an idyllic Trinity term at Oxford, just before the outbreak of the First World War. Volunteering as soon as war
24624-667: The weekend of 8–9 July 1961, Keeler was among several guests of Ward at the Spring Cottage at Cliveden. That same weekend, at the main house, Profumo and his wife Valerie were among the large gathering from the worlds of politics and the arts which Astor was hosting in honour of Pakistani President Ayub Khan . On the Saturday evening, Ward's and Astor's parties mingled at the Cliveden swimming pool, which Ward and his guests had permission to use. Keeler, who had been swimming naked,
24795-413: The weekend's events to MI5. He told Woods that Ivanov and Profumo had met and that the latter had shown considerable interest in Keeler. Ward also stated that he had been asked by Ivanov for information about the future arming of West Germany with nuclear weapons. This request for military information did not greatly disturb MI5, who expected a GRU officer to ask such questions. Profumo's interest in Keeler
24966-443: Was Third Scholar at Eton College , but his time there (1906–10) was blighted by recurrent illness, starting with a near-fatal attack of pneumonia in his first half (term); he missed his final year after being taken ill, and was taught at home by private tutors (1910–11), notably Ronald Knox , who did much to instil his High Church Anglicanism . He won an exhibition (scholarship) to Balliol College, Oxford . In his youth, he
25137-447: Was a British statesman and Conservative politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1957 to 1963. Nicknamed " Supermac ", he was known for his pragmatism , wit, and unflappability . Macmillan was seriously injured as an infantry officer during the First World War. He suffered pain and partial immobility for the rest of his life. After the war he joined his family book-publishing business , then entered Parliament at
25308-417: Was already criticising Butler (then Chancellor of the Exchequer) in his diary, accusing him of "dislik(ing) and fear(ing) him"; in fact there is no evidence that Butler regarded Macmillan as a rival at this stage. In April 1953 Beaverbrook encouraged Macmillan to think that in a future leadership contest he might emerge in a dead heat between Eden and Butler, as the young Beaverbrook (Max Aitken as he had been at
25479-443: Was also particularly impressed by a speech by Lloyd George at the Oxford Union Society in 1913, where he had become a member. Macmillan was a protégé of the president of the Union Society Walter Monckton , later a Cabinet colleague; as such, he became secretary then junior treasurer (elected unopposed in March 1914, then an unusual occurrence) of the Union, and would in his biographers' view "almost certainly" have been president had
25650-674: Was an admirer of the policies and leadership of a succession of Liberal prime ministers, starting with Henry Campbell-Bannerman , who came to power when Macmillan was 11 years old and H. H. Asquith , whom he later described as having "intellectual sincerity and moral nobility", and particularly of Asquith's successor, David Lloyd George , whom he regarded as a "man of action", likely to accomplish his goals. Macmillan went up to Balliol College in 1912, where he joined many political societies. His political opinions at this stage were an eclectic mix of moderate conservatism, moderate liberalism and Fabian socialism. He read avidly about Disraeli , but
25821-481: Was an unwelcome complication in MI5's plans to use her in a honey trap operation against Ivanov, to help secure his defection. Woods therefore referred the issue to MI5's director-general, Sir Roger Hollis . A few days after the Cliveden weekend, Profumo contacted Keeler. The affair that ensued was brief; some commentators have suggested that it ended after a few weeks, while others believe that it continued, with decreasing fervour, until December 1961. The relationship
25992-436: Was appointed Acting President of the Allied Commission (the Supreme Commander being President). Macmillan visited Greece on 11 December 1944. As the Germans had withdrawn, British troops under General Scobie had deployed to Athens, but there were concerns that the pro-communist Greek resistance, EAM and its military wing ELAS , would take power (see Dekemvriana ) or come into conflict with British troops. Macmillan rode in
26163-472: Was arrested by the police and charged with assault. Keeler later agreed to drop the charge. In July 1962 the first inklings of a possible Profumo-Keeler-Ivanov triangle had been hinted at, in coded terms, in the gossip column of the society magazine Queen . Under the heading, "Sentences I'd like to hear the end of" appeared the wording: "... called in MI5 because every time the chauffeur-driven Zils drew up at her front door, out of her back door into
26334-575: Was characterised by Keeler as an unromantic relationship without expectations, a "screw of convenience", although she also states that Profumo hoped for a longer-term commitment and that he offered to set her up in a flat. More than twenty years later, Profumo described Keeler in conversation with his son as someone who "seem[ed] to like sexual intercourse", but who was "completely uneducated", with no conversation beyond make-up, hair and gramophone records. "Darling, ... Alas something's blown up tomorrow night and I can't therefore make it ... I leave
26505-427: Was declared, Macmillan was commissioned as a temporary second lieutenant in the King's Royal Rifle Corps on 19 November 1914. Promoted to lieutenant on 30 January 1915, he soon transferred to the Grenadier Guards . He fought on the front lines in France , where the casualty rate was high, including the probability of an "early violent death". He served with distinction and was wounded on three occasions. Shot in
26676-485: Was described as "a free-lance model" and "Miss Marilyn Davies" as "an actress". In the wake of the incident, Keeler began to talk indiscreetly about Ward, Profumo, Ivanov and the Edgecombe shooting. Among those to whom she told her story was John Lewis , a former Labour MP whom she had met by chance in a night club. Lewis, a long-standing enemy of Ward, passed the information to Wigg, his one-time parliamentary colleague, who began his own investigation. On 22 January 1963
26847-449: Was first a major cause of his odd and rebellious behaviour in the 1930s then, in subsequent decades, made him a harder and more ruthless politician than his rivals Eden and Butler. The Macmillans had four children: Lady Dorothy died on 21 May 1966, aged 65. In old age, Macmillan was a close friend of Ava Anderson, Viscountess Waverley , née Bodley, the widow of John Anderson, 1st Viscount Waverley . Eileen O'Casey , née Reynolds,
27018-443: Was given responsibility for increasing colonial production and trade, and signalled the future policy direction when in June 1942 he declared: The governing principle of the Colonial Empire should be the principle of partnership between the various elements composing it. Out of partnership comes understanding and friendship. Within the fabric of the Commonwealth lies the future of the Colonial territories. Macmillan predicted that
27189-465: Was in bathing costumes and nothing indecent took place at all". Profumo was greatly attracted to Keeler, and promised to be in touch with her. Ward asked Ivanov to accompany Keeler back to London where, according to Keeler, they had sex. Some commentators doubt this—Keeler was generally outspoken about her sexual relationships yet said nothing openly about sex with Ivanov until she informed a newspaper eighteen months later. On 12 July 1961, Ward reported on
27360-551: Was introduced to Profumo while trying to cover herself with a skimpy towel. She was, Profumo informed his son many years later, "a very pretty girl and very sweet". Keeler did not initially know who Profumo was, but was impressed that he was the husband of a famous film star and was prepared to have "a bit of fun" with him. The next afternoon the two parties reconvened at the pool and were joined by Ivanov, who had arrived that morning. There followed what Lord Denning described as "a light-hearted and frolicsome bathing party, where everyone
27531-407: Was marked by equal measures of violence and tenderness on his part. Gordon became very possessive, jealous of Keeler's other social contacts. He began confronting her friends and often telephoned her at unsocial hours. In November Keeler left Wimpole Mews and moved to a flat in Dolphin Square , overlooking the Thames at Pimlico , where she entertained friends. When Gordon continued to harass Keeler he
27702-406: Was narrowly defeated, and Wilson became prime minister. A later commentator opined that the Profumo affair had destroyed the old, aristocratic Conservative Party: "It wouldn't be too much to say that the Profumo scandal was the necessary prelude to the new Toryism, based on meritocracy , which would eventually emerge under Margaret Thatcher ". The Economist suggested that the scandal had effected
27873-417: Was on holiday in Scotland. On Tuesday 4 June, Profumo confessed the truth to Bligh, confirming that he had lied, resigned from the government, and applied for the office of steward of the Chiltern Hundreds in order to give up his House of Commons seat. Bligh informed Macmillan of these events by telephone. The resignation was announced on 5 June, when the formal exchange of letters between Profumo and Macmillan
28044-403: Was published. The Times called Profumo's lies "a great tragedy for the probity of public life in Britain"; while the Daily Mirror hinted that not all the truth had been told and referred to "skeletons in many cupboards". Gordon's trial for the attack on Keeler began on the day Profumo's resignation was made public. He maintained that his innocence would be established by two witnesses who,
28215-434: Was recognised when he was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1975. He was later described by Thatcher as a national hero and was a guest at her 80th birthday celebrations in 2005. His marriage to Valerie Hobson lasted until her death on 13 November 1998, aged 81; Profumo died, aged 91, on 9 March 2006. In December 1963 Keeler pleaded guilty to committing perjury at Gordon's June trial, and she
28386-426: Was sentenced to nine months' imprisonment, of which she served six months. After two brief marriages in 1965–66 to James Levermore and in 1971–72 to Anthony Platt that produced a child each, the elder of whom was largely raised by Keeler's mother, Keeler largely lived alone from the mid-1990s until her death. Most of the considerable amount of money that she made from newspaper stories was dissipated by legal fees; during
28557-472: Was the best way to deal with Americans, which later influenced his foreign policy as prime minister. On 22 February 1943, Macmillan was badly burned in a plane crash, trying to climb back into the plane to rescue a Frenchman. He had to have a plaster cast put on his face. In his delirium he imagined himself back in a Somme casualty clearing station and asked for a message to be passed to his mother, now dead. Together with Gladwyn Jebb he helped to negotiate
28728-405: Was the other major political party, along with the Conservatives. While coalition and minority governments have been an occasional feature of parliamentary politics, the first-past-the-post electoral system used for general elections tends to maintain the dominance of these two parties, though each has in the past century relied upon a third party , such as the Liberal Democrats , to deliver
28899-417: Was the sole author of "Reconstruction: A Plea for a National Unity". In 1935 he was one of 15 MPs to write "Planning for Employment". His next publication, "The Next Five Years", was overshadowed by Lloyd George's proposed "New Deal" in 1935. Macmillan Press also published the work of the economist John Maynard Keynes . Macmillan resigned the government whip (but not the Conservative party one) in protest at
29070-599: Was the son of a Scottish crofter from the Isle of Arran . Macmillan considered himself a Scot. Macmillan received an intensive early education, closely guided by his American mother. He learned French at home every morning from a succession of nursery maids, and exercised daily at Mr Macpherson's Gymnasium and Dancing Academy, around the corner from the family home. From the age of six or seven he received introductory lessons in classical Latin and Greek at Mr Gladstone's day school , close by in Sloane Square . Macmillan attended Summer Fields School , Oxford (1903–06). He
29241-444: Was wound up in November 1937. His book The Middle Way appeared in June 1938, advocating a broadly centrist political philosophy both domestically and internationally. Macmillan took control of the magazine New Outlook and made sure it published political tracts rather than purely theoretical work. In 1936, Macmillan proposed the creation of a cross-party forum of antifascists to create democratic unity but his ideas were rejected by
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