Who achieved 'the most significant by-election success ever’?

In this week's podcast, Richard and Lee are joined by historian Tom Chidwick to discuss the life and times of Dick Taverne. In the early 1970s, the Labour MP for Lincoln was deselected by his party over Europe; in response, he resigned his seat and stood in a spectacular by-election. When voters went to the polls, Taverne achieved what John Curtice has called 'the most significant by-election success ever’. Why was he deselected? How did he win? And what were the longer-term consequences for Taverne - and British politics? In this episode, the following books are mentioned:'Can the Welfare State Survive?' by Andrew Gamble. Available at: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16406/9780745698748'Gladstone' by Roy Jenkins. Available at: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16406/9781509868292***Since Attlee & Churchill is a podcast about post-war British politics - since Attlee & Churchill - and is hosted by Lee David Evans, an historian of the Conservative Party, and Richard Johnson, an historian of the Labour Party. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.