Attlee, Clement R.

Attlee, Clement R. (1883–1967),British Labour politician who was deputy prime minister in Churchill's coalition government from May 1940 to July 1945, when he became prime minister.

After serving in the First World War, which he finished as a major, Attlee became Labour MP for Limehouse in 1922 and by 1935 was Labour Party leader. In May 1940, when Chamberlain could not continue as prime minister of a Conservative administration without Labour support, Attlee asked the Labour National Executive committee two questions: would it serve under Chamberlain and would it serve under someone else? When the answer was ‘no’ to the first question and ‘yes’ to the second, Chamberlain resigned.

Though not officially given the title until February 1942, Attlee was, de facto, deputy prime minister from the start of the new government. Both he and his deputy, Arthur Greenwood, were members of the war cabinet ( Greenwood stepped down in February 1942) and Attlee served as Lord Privy Seal until February 1942, then as secretary for the dominions until September 1943 when he was appointed lord president of the council. His main responsibilities lay with the civil side of government but he also ran the government's day-to-day business in the House of Commons and chaired the war cabinet and the Defence Committee in Churchill's absence.

Given their very different personalities and political beliefs the two men worked together with a remarkable degree of harmony. Attlee's loyalty rarely wavered, nor did he ever push his socialist programme of reform beyond acceptable limits, a stance which proved unpopular with some of his more left-wing colleagues. He was a man of few words but his criticisms could be biting.

Attlee accompanied the foreign secretary, Anthony Eden, to the founding conference of the United Nations in San Francisco in May 1945, but returned early for the July general election which gave him a majority of 170 seats. One of his first tasks was to take Churchill's place at the Potsdam conference (see TERMINAL) and he served as prime minister until 1951. See also UK, 3.

Bibliography

Attlee, C. , As It Happened (London, 1954).
Harris, K. , Attlee (London, 1982).