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Since 2011, the History of Parliament Trust has been interviewing former MPs about their lives, both in and out of Westminster. Our 'whole life' interviews are generally conducted by volunteers, and can last for hours (our longest, with Jonathan Aitken, is over 24 hours). The archive is held by the British Library.


These in-depth interviews with the personalities - famous or not - who helped to shape recent British politics provide insights hard to find in written sources: how an individual became politically active; what it felt like to represent a constituency and party; the bar-room gossip. This curation uses individual and collective artistic depictions of MPs to explore some of the people and themes contained in our archive.

8 artworks

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House of Commons, 1986
© the artist. Image credit: Parliamentary Art Collection

The Members

A familiar parliamentary scene: the Commons gathering for a normally rowdy Question Time. The Chamber is not large enough to hold all the Members so this painting has a companion piece (below) to include MPs who were unable to be pictured.

Whilst our project aims to interview every living former MP this job grows more difficult with every new election! Instead we do all we can to include a wide range of parliamentarians: from cabinet members to serial backbench rebels, those who sat for a few years or many, and where possible a fair representation of all parties. So far over 170 interviews have been archived at the British Library, most available to listen online or in person.

House of Commons, 1986 1987
June Mendoza (b.1924)
Oil on canvas
H 173 x W 234 cm
Parliamentary Art Collection

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Michael Heseltine (b.1933)
© the artist. Image credit: Pembroke College, University of Oxford

Michael Heseltine, Conservative MP for Tavistock (1966-74) and Henley (1974-2001)

One of the better-known figures in our archive is Michael Heseltine, who went on to become deputy Prime Minister.

Our interview with him reveals that he was still overwhelmed when first entering the Commons: 'Talk of the new boy at school. … In Parliament – I remember vividly – you arrive and there you are, you’re on your own. So fine, after all, you’ve been elected, you’re a mature person, you’ve got to find your way, but I do remember the sense of, golly, what do I do now?'

Michael Heseltine (b.1933) 1999
Anne Curry (active 1992–2007)
Bronze
H 43 x W 27 x D 16 cm
Pembroke College, University of Oxford

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The Right Honourable Denis Healey, MP
© Henry Mee. Image credit: Parliamentary Art Collection

Denis Healey, Labour MP for Leeds South East (1952-55) and Leeds East (1955-92)

Another big name interviewed for our collection is Denis Healey, former Chancellor and Deputy Leader of the Labour party. Of our interviewees he was the first to sit in the Commons, elected for Leeds South East in 1952 and eventually stepping down in 1992.

For both Healey and Heseltine, their priorities were to pursue a political career on a national stage. Healey told us: 'The main reason I went into politics was to stop a third World War; because wars are made by governments and you can only really influence that if you are involved in politics and indeed government.'

The Right Honourable Denis Healey, MP 1992
Henry Mee (b.1955)
Oil on canvas
H 151 x W 100 cm
Parliamentary Art Collection

1988

The Other Picture
© the artist. Image credit: Parliamentary Art Collection

Behind the Scenes

Whilst Healey and Heseltine are two well-known figures, this composition - featuring 156 of the MPs not included in the 1986 painting of the chamber - sums up the aim of our project to both include the experiences of all parliamentarians and to capture the culture in Westminster.

These scenes from the Smoking Room and Library show the other side of politics: friendships and gossip, debates over a drink, the building of alliances, compromises and schemes. Jenny Tonge remembered that the Tea Room was 'where you escaped ... had gossip sessions.'

Despite the prominent position of the few female MPs pictured here, like our archive this painting reveals how male the institution was at this time, both in culture and raw numbers.

The Other Picture 1988
Andrew Festing (b.1941)
Oil on canvas
H 153 x W 316 cm
Parliamentary Art Collection

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Baroness Hayman, Lord Speaker
© Parliamentary Art Collection. Image credit: Parliamentary Art Collection

Helene Hayman, Labour MP for Welwyn and Hatfield (1974-79)

Helene Hayman gave us a revealing interview about her time in the Commons. Sitting as one of the few female MPs during the fractious 1970s, when the Labour government had tiny or non-existent majorities, Hayman remembers vividly the difficulties of her first pregnancy and birth of her son under constant pressure from the whips to attend. Our interviews with female MPs give a particular insight into a parliamentary culture that was overwhelmingly male, even if they did not all find it discriminatory.

Here Hayman is depicted here as the very first Lord Speaker, male or female.

Baroness Hayman, Lord Speaker 2008
Sergei Pavlenko (b.1953)
Oil on canvas
H 132.3 x W 86.8 cm
Parliamentary Art Collection

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Tam Dalyell of the Binns (1932–2017), MP (1962–2005)
© Victoria Crowe. Image credit: West Lothian Council

Tam Dalyell, Labour MP for West Lothian (1962-83) and Linlithgow (1983-2005)

The longest serving MP in our archive, Tam Dalyell sat in parliament for over 40 years. Regarded by many as a 'maverick', he was a politician of principle still remembered for helping to coin the term 'West Lothian Question' in a 1977 debate over Scottish devolution.

A serial rebel, Dalyell spent many of his years in the Commons on the backbenches pursuing various causes. This stance, he remembered, made him 'extremely assiduous' in his constituency work and towards his local party, 'because if you are going to vote against three-line whips ... you'd better be very sure about your constituency base.'

Tam Dalyell of the Binns (1932–2017), MP (1962–2005) 1987
Victoria Crowe (b.1945)
Oil on board
H 109.3 x W 94.1 cm
West Lothian Council

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Conservative Party Conference, Brighton 1982 (Geoffrey Howe; Cecil Edward Parkinson, Baron Parkinson; Ann Mary Parkinson, Lady Parkinson; Margaret Hilda Thatcher, née Roberts, Baroness Thatcher; Sir Denis Thatcher, 1st Bt; Francis Leslie Pym, Baron Pym)
© National Portrait Gallery, London. Image credit: National Portrait Gallery, London

Leadership and Controversy

Our archive is able to collect many different personal perspectives on political leadership and great moments of drama in British political life. Prime Minister from 1979-1990, Margaret Thatcher is central to many of these moments.

Many MPs remember her rise to power, including the 1979 vote of no confidence in Callaghan's government: a 'magical, unforgettable night' according to Conservative MP Jill Knight. Others remember her removal as party leader in 1990 after Geoffrey Howe, also pictured here, resigned from her cabinet. Despite moving against her, Howe told us that he greatly admired Thatcher: 'her leadership was very, very striking and remarkable'.

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Lord Peter Alexander Rupert Carrington (1919–2018)
© the artist / Bridgeman Images. Image credit: University of Reading Art Collection

Peter, Lord Carrington

Whilst many of our interviewees also recall later experiences in the House of Lords, Lord Carrington is the only politician in our archive not to have sat in the Commons. Serving as Defence and Foreign Secretaries, he was an important figure in two Conservative governments. His resignation over the Falklands War was remembered by many in our archive.

Pictured here as Chancellor of the University of Reading, Carrington's interview - like many in our collection - contains much more than just memories of his political career. He describes a family tradition of serving as MPs and his own 'sense of obligation' for public service, and remembers his career in the army and his time as High Commissioner in Australia.

Lord Peter Alexander Rupert Carrington (1919–2018) 1993
Emma Sergeant (b.1959)
Oil on board
H 120 x W 90 cm
University of Reading Art Collection