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Heath ministry

Premiership of Edward Heath From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Heath ministry
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Not to be confused with a health ministry.

Edward Heath of the Conservative Party formed the Heath ministry and was appointed Prime Minister of the United Kingdom by Queen Elizabeth II on 19 June 1970, following the general election of the previous day. The Heath ministry ended after the February 1974 general election, which produced a hung parliament, leading to the formation of a minority government by Harold Wilson of the Labour Party.

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Heath had been elected Leader of the Conservative Party in 1965 – succeeding Alec Douglas-Home – within a few months of the party's election defeat after 13 years in government. In the following year, his first general election as Leader resulted in defeat as Wilson's Labour government increased its majority. The Conservatives enjoyed a surge in support over the next two years as the British economy went through a period of deflation that culminated in a devaluation, at the same time that the merging of businesses was encouraged. Unemployment rose significantly, but when Wilson called a general election for June 1970, the opinion polls all pointed towards a third successive Labour victory. It was a major surprise when the Conservatives won with a majority of 30 seats.[1]

Heath's government initially enjoyed a strong economy and relatively low unemployment, and on 1 January 1973 the United Kingdom became a member state of the European Communities, principally the European Economic Community. But then came the 1973 oil crisis, and just before Christmas, Heath declared a three-day week in which the use of offices, factories and most public buildings was reduced to three days a week. He also faced a battle with the unions over pay freezes and restraints, which sparked a rise in strikes. The economy also entered a recession.

Historians have suggested the Heath government promoted both the old ways of the post-war consensus along with a new outlook of economic policies and monetarism. The premiership was trapped between these two paradigms as the 'old world' started to fail and the 'new world' lacked intellectual credibility and political backing.[2]

Heath's response in February 1974 was to call a general election, urging the voters to decide the question of whether Britain was to be run by the government or by the unions. In the election on 28 February the Conservatives received the most votes, but in the resulting hung parliament Labour had the most seats. After Conservative talks with the Liberal Party about forming a coalition government failed, Labour formed a minority government on 4 March.[3] A second general election was widely anticipated later in 1974, and was called by Harold Wilson for 10 October, in which the Labour Party secured a three-seat majority. This meant that Wilson had now won four of the five general elections he had contested, while Heath had now lost three of his four general elections, and it seemed inevitable that his leadership would soon end.[4]

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Cabinet

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"Cabinet of Edward Heath" redirects here; not to be confused with First Shadow Cabinet of Edward Heath or Second Shadow Cabinet of Edward Heath.

June 1970 – March 1974

The cabinet appointed in June 1970 comprised the following:[5]

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List of ministers

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Cabinet members are in bold face.

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References

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