Heath 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.

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.

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.

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. 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.

Cabinet

June 1970 – March 1974

The cabinet appointed in June 1970 comprised the following:

• Prime Minister: Edward Heath
• Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain: Quintin Hogg, Baron Hailsham of St Marylebone
• Leader of the House of Commons and Lord President of the Council: William Whitelaw
• Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal: George Jellicoe, 2nd Earl Jellicoe
• Chancellor of the Exchequer: Iain Macleod
• Foreign Secretary: Alec Douglas-Home
• Home Secretary: Reginald Maudling
• Secretary of State for Defence: Peter Carington, 6th Baron Carrington
• Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food: Jim Prior
• Secretary of State for Education and Science: Margaret Thatcher
• Secretary of State for Employment: Robert Carr
• Minister of Housing and Local Government: Peter Walker
• Secretary of State for Social Services: Sir Keith Joseph
• Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster: Anthony Barber
• Secretary of State for Scotland: Gordon Campbell
• Minister of Technology: Geoffrey Rippon
• President of the Board of Trade: Michael Noble
• Secretary of State for Wales: Peter Thomas

Changes

• July 1970 – Iain Macleod dies; Anthony Barber succeeds him as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Geoffrey Rippon succeeds Barber as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. John Davies succeeds Rippon as Minister of Technology.
• October 1970 – The Ministry of Technology and the Board of Trade are merged to become the Department of Trade and Industry. John Davies becomes Secretary of State for Trade and Industry. Michael Noble leaves the cabinet. The Ministry of Housing and Local Government is succeeded by the new Department of the Environment, which is headed by Peter Walker.
• March 1972 – William Whitelaw is appointed to the new position of Secretary of State for Northern Ireland; Robert Carr succeeds him as Lord President and Leader of the House of Commons. Maurice Macmillan succeeds Carr as Secretary for Employment.
• July 1972 – Reginald Maudling resigns as Home Secretary; Robert Carr succeeds him. Jim Prior succeeds Carr as Lord President and Leader of the House of Commons. Joseph Godber succeeds Prior as Secretary for Agriculture.
• November 1972 – Geoffrey Rippon succeeds Peter Walker as Secretary for the Environment. John Davies succeeds Rippon as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. Peter Walker succeeds Davies as Secretary for Trade and Industry. Geoffrey Howe becomes Minister for Trade and Consumer Affairs with a seat in the cabinet.
• June 1973 – The Earl Jellicoe resigns as Lord Privy Seal and Leader of the House of Lords; The Lord Windlesham succeeds him.
• December 1973 – William Whitelaw succeeds Maurice Macmillan as Secretary for Employment. Francis Pym succeeds Whitelaw as Secretary for Northern Ireland. Macmillan becomes Paymaster-General.
• January 1974 – The Lord Carrington is appointed to the new position of Secretary of State for Energy; Ian Gilmour succeeds him as Secretary for Defence.

List of ministers

Cabinet members are in bold face.

Notes

Sources

Further reading

• Ball, Stuart; Seldon, Anthony, eds. The Heath Government 1970–74: A Reappraisal (Routledge, 2014).
• Butler, D.; Butler, G., eds. (30 April 2016). . Springer. ISBN 9781349627332.
• Hughes, Rosaleen Anne. 'Governing in hard times': the Heath government and civil emergencies–the 1972 and the 1974 miners' strikes. (Dissertation. Queen Mary University of London, 2012).
• Pryce, Sue. "Edward Heath 1970–4: A Counter-Revolutionary?", chapter in Presidentializing the Premiership (1997): 83–114.
• Roe-Crines, Andrew S. and Timothy Heppell. eds. Policies and Politics Under Prime Minister Edward Heath (Palgrave, 2020)
• Spelling, Alex. "Edward Heath and Anglo–American Relations 1970–1974: A Reappraisal", Diplomacy & Statecraft 20.4 (2009): 638–658.