The Afterlife Of Prime Ministers

Prime Ministerial careers tend to end abruptly and in tears. So what does an ex-PM do next? Are today’s Prime Ministers too young to fade away gracefully? Should they avoid lobbying jobs? And when it comes to backbench politics, should they stay or should they go?

The IfG’s Tim Durrant discusses the mystery of the Prime Ministerial afterlife (and the lure of the comeback) with ex-Justice Secretary David Gauke, Politico’s senior political correspondent Esther Webber, Engage Britain’s Director of Advocacy and former Times political editor Francis Elliot, and the IfG’s Catherine Haddon. 

• “The end of your Prime Ministership can come suddenly and unexpectedly… It’s quite hard to see what you’re going to do.” – David Gauke
• “PMs tend to be younger now and they’re less likely to want to fade into obscurity – which going to the Lords would achieve quite easily.” – Esther Webber
• “Moments of maximum crisis like COVID are exactly when ex-PMs miss the office most.” – Francis Elliott 
• “It’s an absorbing job, it consumes all your waking hours and it’s utterly fascinating. You’ve got status and international connections. For that to end is a wrench.” – David Gauke

Presented by Tim Durrant. Audio production by Alex Rees. Inside Briefing is a Podmasters Production for the IfG. 

https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk 

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