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    Ending in failure? The performance of ‘Takeover’ Prime Ministers 1916–2016

    Worthy, Benjamin (2016) Ending in failure? The performance of ‘Takeover’ Prime Ministers 1916–2016. Political Quarterly 87 (4), pp. 509-517. ISSN 1467-923X.

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    Abstract

    When Theresa May became Prime Minister in July 2016, she joined a list of eleven previous UK takeover leaders in the past 100 years. While the popular image is of Prime Ministers arriving in power after a general election victory, more than half of the Prime Ministers who governed since 1916 have acceded as ‘takeover leaders’ through an internal party process. This article analyses how such takeover leaders perform, concluding that May is likely to face greater obstacles and enjoy fewer advantages than if she had been popularly elected. Takeover leaders have less time in power and less chance of winning subsequent elections, and are generally rated as worse-performing.

    Metadata

    Item Type: Article
    Additional Information: This is the peer reviewed version of the article, which has been published in final form at the link above. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving.
    School: Birkbeck Faculties and Schools > Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences > School of Social Sciences
    Research Centres and Institutes: Birkbeck Centre for British Political Life
    Depositing User: Ben Worthy
    Date Deposited: 20 Jan 2017 10:48
    Last Modified: 13 Feb 2024 10:58
    URI: https://eprints.bbk.ac.uk/id/eprint/17944

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    • Ending in failure? The performance of ‘Takeover’ Prime Ministers 1916–2016. (deposited 20 Jan 2017 10:48) [Currently Displayed]

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